Written and directed by acclaimed filmmaker David O. Russell comes an original crime epic about three close friends who find themselves at the center of one of the most shocking secret plots in American history. Based on facts that meet fiction, the film stars Academy Award® winner Christian Bale, two-time Oscar® nominee Margot Robbie, John David Washington, Alessandro Nivola, Andrea Riseborough, Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Rock, Matthias Schoenaerts, Michael Shannon, Mike Myers, Taylor Swift, Timothy Olyphant, Zoe Saldana with Oscar winner Rami Malek and two-time Academy Award winner Robert DeNiro.
For in-depth thoughts on Amsterdam, please see my colleague Dom Fisher’s review from its original theatrical release here.
Video Quality
Amsterdam really makes a showing with this 4K 2160p presentation in 2.39:1 on this 4K UHD Blu-Ray disc. The cinematography courtesy of Emmanuel Lubezki is stylized with a rich palette that evokes a sense of nostalgia and place, and this disc replicates it beautifully. This presentation especially impresses with black levels that are incredibly deep and detailed with all digital noise absent from the screen. The 4K presentation provides a striking depth of field that just cannot be replicated as well with the accompanying Blu-Ray. Even in terms of fine detail, this 4K UHD disc offers a notable increase compared to its Blu-Ray counterpart.
Daytime scenes wow with an impeccable clarity and a strong handle of white levels that show no evidence of blooming. Color highlights are another area of substantial improvement in comparison to the Blu-Ray. Colors look more natural in this presentation with multiple instances of vibrant hues featuring golds, greens, reds, and more that really dazzle. Skin tones look very realistic and textured throughout, especially around some of the scarring. Overall, this is an excellent 4K UHD presentation that offers a noticeable uptick by several metrics.
Audio Quality
This disc comes equipped with a terrific Dolby Atmos presentation that fully brings this world to life. Dialogue comes through perfectly clear without ever being threatened by any of the competing sonic elements. The low end is in play when the scene calls for it, but that is not the standout aspect of the track. The sound design of this film is well considered, and the implementation of environmental sounds are executed very effectively.
There are elements in this track that are truly immersive, such as the sounds of combat that haunts our heroes or more joyous moments of dance. Sounds are rendered with precise directionality from the more frenzied scenes to the quieter dialogue-driven moments. The score from Daniel Pemberton brings a sense of propulsive energy to the narrative. The mix here is very well done with nice engagement of all the channels, which makes this track a joy to listen to for fans of the film. This disc provides optional English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Special Features
- Welcome To Amsterdam: A nearly 16-minute featurette in which the cast and crew discuss the origins of the story, the collaborative process between director David O. Russell and Christian Bale, how the performers prepared for their roles, how the team brought this period to the screen, the historical aspects of the story, the aesthetic of the film and more.
Final Thoughts
Amsterdam is a bit of an interesting mess. Putting aside the baggage that certain creative figures bring to this film, the story seems a bit overly concerned with carving out opportunities to add interesting personalities to its sprawling ensemble. While there is no shortage of incredible performers here, there are certain characters that could have been jettisoned entirely for a more focused affair. Also, the core mystery/investigation is just beat-for-beat not that compelling, and the story does not feel cohesive in the end. That being said, there are some entertaining aspects that keep it from being a complete failure. There are several characters that are easy to become invested in, and the movie is best when it is allowing these characters to just exist rather than drive the plot forward. There is an unexpected emotional core to the film that does land in spite of itself. There is a much better movie in here somewhere, but it at least functions as decent entertainment. 20th Century Home Entertainment has given this film a 4K UHD Blu-Ray release featuring a dazzling A/V presentation and a decent special feature. If you go in with lowered expectations, you might get enough from this.
Amsterdam is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: 20th Century Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.