Clever: The movie is one of those works that is all about the "elevated" brand of drama and comedy. Amsterdam does this very and takes the comedy from in your face, constant bashing, to more strategic placement of the jokes and making it feel like it's a natural part of dialogue. Bale in particular has great delivery to maximize these lines, while the writing focuses on really making things pop out in the odd eccentrics that everyone in this movie has. You want delusional ramblings? It's got it! You want sarcasm used like a weapon? Again you got it. You want putting your foot in your mouth and getting drunk to make a fool of yourself? Again, this movie has got it. Amsterdam does not try to cram the movie with a ton of jokes, but it does accomplish so much in the way it is poking fun at events and having fun with the material, primarily it's characters.

Good Use Of Actors; There is a large list of people on the poster of this movie, which means a heavy price tag for most of the cast. In many films, that tag leads to a very poor use of the characters and a story that suffers with it. But Amsterdam surprised me in this movie and worked very well with a majority of the characters getting their fair share of screen time and integration in the story. Nowhere near perfect, the movie really has a story that puts these guys into the mix and helps build on the complexity this story will be, all keeping to the tone of movie. It's again a smarter use of something that is often abused, and help give most of your cast the adequate time on screen to dive into. To have such story focused character use, this was the movie to help show traditional storytelling is not fully gone in the modern world.

Acting By The Main Three: The main three people are the stars of the show and a huge connecting point when it comes to other facets of this movie. Robbie is the first I pick as she shows up the latest of the three, and she does a great job playing a very complex character that holds kind of three or four qualities. Robbie plays all the aspects fantastically, transitioning between languages, forms, and comedy styles to the point that the woman seems to have some dissociative identity order with how she commands the roles. I loved the control over the emotions, the ability to convey the mannerisms and traits that they were going for to help add that shroud of mystery to her roles, alongside the comedy she brought. Washington is a little more monotone, and his character you've seen in so many roles that Amsterdam's character Woodman is only a slightly different stretch to what he has done before. His flat tone, his calm aspects, and the slight edge work for a lawyer trying to make sense of life in the 1930s during this odd mystery. And when paired with Robbie and Bale, has fantastic chemistry that helps bring out the best of the other characters. It's Bale that was the winner for the performance though, primarily in how he plays Dr. Bert to so many levels that it blows my mind how he can do this nearly every performance. I loved his soldier aspect that we get, the veteran focus having honor and attitude, that bleeds into different shades when he is with his patients that complexes the character. His comedic delivery was the best for me, and I just loved the natural feeling of his reactions as hell continued to break out around him. He just carries so much of the performances, and he played well with everybody that interacted with him.

The Make Up: There is a lot of make up in this movie, and not to the classic style you might think A lot of the characters required heavy prosthetics and use of the cosmetic craft, and it works super well to make the characters burdens come to life. Scars are the biggest thing represented, and I loved the details that they brought with it and how things looked to a higher quality. Horrifying at times, comedic at others, and honorable the rest of the time, Amsterdam's department deserves a big award for just how much they accomplished with the historical pressure they had to recreate. It may seem trivial, but I assure you it's an essential piece to the story and they accomplished the goal well.

The Look Of The World: If you have read other reviews of mine, you know I have a spot for enjoying the world crafting that Hollywood can create. Again, Amsterdam accomplishes this setting quite well to help us return to the early half of the 20th century. The cars are rustic, blocky, and slower to give that mob style look that our heroes are trying to navigate around. People are dressed in the suits and dresses of the time, with hats helping add the character style that those times embraced. Mansions are elaborate, but traditional as the historic technology is brought back out. And the hospitals are haunting, havens that exist but for a moment before the hard times descend on them. It works so well, and I felt that much of the movie was back during the rolling times of decades between World Wars.

The Cinematography: Another technique that elevated the movie, the camera work is awesome in this film to help further immerse you into the past. Filters and the film quality really helped take the Hollywood sheen off, which gave us that historical film setting to enjoy. The angles were kept dynamic, and the playing of light really helps further enhance the mood of the moment. Again, something that might not be what people are going for, but the movie really helps with this play on history and add to the story more than you might expect.

DISLIKES:

Not Very Thrilling: This is a thriller that is more drama than anything else. Amsterdam's story is, for the most part, a very engaging story about a darker part of U. S. history, if you can believe such a thing. Regardless, the thriller part is rather drowned by the drama element, with only a handful of moments that could be "thrilling". As such, if you go in here expecting historical and drama, with more of a mystery/seeking truth tone, you will love this component. However, if you were expecting a little more excitement and stakes, that is where I think you will have your hopes squashed a bit and maybe find it a bit boring.

A Bit Slow At Times: It is a historical drama, and sometimes history can be a tad boring unless it hits that element you love. Amsterdam is a movie that has some slow moments, particularly some of the tangents and asides that get a bit too longwinded as they deviate from the story. At over two hours for a run time, this is not the best use of artistic deviation in my book, unless you are ready for full investment or it hits your particular interests.

Sometimes a Bit Staggered/All Over The Place: What I did not enjoy, was that the movie sometimes took too many deviations that it broke up the story a bit too much for me. The movie likes to go to the past several times, then to a potential future, and then back to the present that is also split into multiple viewpoints. Again, it elevates the movie well and tries to help give a unique feel to the movie, but when it gets away at the slow parts, the movie's interesting story gets a bit splayed out and a bit too long-winded if I'm being honest. However, the movie has some elements that help save this, but still caution with the tangents.

Some Characters/Actors Simplified: As mentioned before, the use of characters is not perfectly balanced in this movie. Some names have legacy behind it, but they are very minor in their appearance, though the character still has high elements in it. However, it's characters like Chris Rock who were kind of disappointing to watch on this movie. His character was kind of very limited on time, did not contribute much to the story, and really felt like he was just there for a few jokes. I would have liked to see more of him given the buildup, or even Anya Taylor Joy have more integration given their talent, but again there are other performances that will easily keep your attention to the story.

Too Convoluted?" I think all this comes down to the movie being a bit too elevated for me in terms of Thriller entertainment. Amsterdam's murder constant is very heavily defined in the trailers, but the movie really is more twisting of the historical events this movie is trying to capture. By trying to be upgraded at times, especially at the end, I found the movie a bit too layered and dry to really deliver the fantastic end I was thinking it was going. In fact, it might have been a gear towards revolution and message against the current times, which is again the message focused storytelling of modern times. Story wise, it again works, but I guess I was expecting a little more of that thrilling finish that the movie sort of promised.

The VERDICT: Amsterdam is a great movie that really feels one part entertaining and one part elevated cinema spectacle. The history and drama elements are definitely the winning elements to the movie, maximized by fantastic visual styles and special effects they used. From makeup and setting, to the camera work, Amsterdam has everything to really take you back to the times and enjoy the historical element. The acting as well is fantastic with all characters having some valid part, that is trying to make this Thriller element stand out. But, the movie might be a bit too elevated at times, taking risks that might not be the entertaining and thrilling direction they wanted. The tangents interrupt things and seem incomplete at times, the dryness of the dialogue might be a bit boring, and some characters did not quite come together for me in this movie. As such, the movie might not be the best in terms of the full story they wanted to tell. Thus, this movie is probably best for you to check out in the future at home then the cinema as there is not all the factors for the higher movie ticket price.

My scores are:

Drama/History/Thriller; 7.0 Movie Overall: 6.0.