There was a lingering sense of ambiguity and anticipation Sunday night at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall, the site of 20th Century Studios' world premiere of David O. Russell's "Amsterdam." Russell hasn't released a new movie in nearly seven years; his last feature film was 2015's "Joy" with Jennifer Lawrence. Given his various controversies and sexual assault allegation in 2011, it was unclear if Hollywood would ever welcome the director with open arms again. And then Drake walked out on stage.
"This is just a real moment," Drake said. “So I'm here to introduce the extremely talented, very legendary, one of the most handsome men in Hollywood. He calls himself David O. Russell.” Drake, who serves as executive producer on "Amsterdam," was one of many influential figures who praised the director during the film's New York premiere. Russell has been accused of exhibiting antagonistic behavior towards her actors on several occasions, and her niece alleged that she sexually assaulted her in a police report filed in 2011, a claim she did not deny. The case was eventually closed without charges being filed.
Director: David O. Russell
Writer: David O. Russell
Stars: Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, John David Washington
Russell's latest film is a quirky, star-studded crime thriller set in the 1930s that follows three friends - two soldiers played by Christian Bale and John David Washington and a nurse played by Margot Robbie - who find themselves in the center of one of the most shocking secret plots in American history.
Washington told Variety that what sets “Amsterdam” apart is its cast and the fact that Emmanuel Lubezki (aka Chivo) was on board as cinematographer. “I think it was a great combination of comedy and levity, and there's the historical content that's great. It's just a bunch of fun and adventure, camaraderie and friendship within the historical context of this country."
Mike Myers, who plays a supporting role, said "Amsterdam" has nuances from George Roy Hill's filmography.
“David is a great film student. It's part of a long tradition of really warm movies," Myers told Variety. "I said I felt like it had nuances of 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' and 'The Sting.' I felt like the movie had the same excitement that you had for those '70s movies, but it's its own thing."
The screening of "Amsterdam" was followed by a question and answer session with Russell, Robbie, Myers, Michael Shannon, Rami Malek, Andrea Riseborough and Timothy Olyphant. The panel discussion was moderated by Ben Stiller, the star of Russell's second feature, "Flirting With Disaster."
“First of all, congratulations on the film, and congratulations on being one of our great American filmmakers. I love you, David," Stiller said. “As a filmmaker, so much of who you are is reflected on screen. Your energy, your feeling, and you do something as a director to create something that's unique."
The panel discussed the film's core thematic messages of friendship and optimism, how the plot is inspired by real-life events (Russell claimed his story is 50-60% accurate, and the notion that the story is repeated. Recalling the time he spent filming "Flirting With Disaster," Stiller explained that he felt Russell's process was intentionally chaotic.
"I remember when we were working a long time ago this sense of intentional chaos," Stiller said. "I think it's intentional because you're trying to shake up what might be the normal thing that you're supposed to do when you're making a movie." Robbie echoed Stiller's admiration, describing working with Russell as a unique experience.
"It's a completely unique experience," said Robbie. “I think we can all attest to that. It's not like working with anyone else. Every day you go on set, you don't know what's going to happen. You literally don't know what you're going to shoot that day, which is both scary and exhilarating." Earlier in the evening, Robert De Niro told Variety that Russell is “a wonderful, very special director. So when he does something, you know they're going to take it into account, so to speak."