Review: David O. Russell goes to war in 'Amsterdam,' but this historical farce Nether comes together
The title of "Amsterdam," the typically busy and discombulating new movie written and directed by David O. Russell, refers to the events of a memorable Dutch idyll in 1918, toward the end of the First World War. For two wounded American servicemen, Burt Berendsen (Christian Bale) and Harold Woodman (John David Washington), and a nurse, Valerie Voze (Margot Robbie), overseeing their recovery, the city of Amsterdam becomes a temporary refuge and playground. The French New Wave may still be decades away, but there's an invigorating dash of Truffaut (but really, true-friend) energy to these proceedings. For a few tender, spirited moments you might be reminded of or perhaps Godard's even when Burt's shot-up face is wrapped in bandages or when Valerie, an aspiring Dadaist, is molding sculptures from
