As is the case with all David O. Russell films, Amsterdam boasts fiercely committed performances, quirky direction, and a screenplay bursting with rapid-fire exposition and charming witty dialogue.

Plus the production, makeup, and costume design are all of the finest quality that the film industry is capable of producing. Hats off to all who were involved here.

I just really wish that this story had the same level of focus and heart that some of Russell's other films have had.

Because as it is, Amsterdam is a wildly unfocused film in terms of both narrative and theme. For humorous starters, only about 10 minutes of the film actually takes place in Amsterdam. And what takes place in Amsterdam really has zero bearing on the rest of the plot.

But that inconsequential little detail is only the tip of the iceberg; the story relays heavily on sequences of characters having exposition-dump meetings that are devoid of heart and humanity.

The final scene in which the "big bad evil guys' plan" is revealed is laughably stupid and contrived, ripped right out of a Scooby-Doo ending.

Occasionally the film tries to force in conversations about love and the preservation of it, but every time it comes up it's absurdly hammy and has no relation to the rest of the story.

I'm kind of amazed at how stacked the cast of this movie is. So many A-list stars became involved to play characters who could be removed entirely without the story or themes changing at all.

Holy cow, what a mess this movie was. I felt nothing at its end because it never focuses on anything long enough-or effectively enough-to earn any sort of emotional or intellectual investment.