Both actors give the roles their full attention and that, at least, is enough to keep the viewer engaged when the script fails – something that happens with disappointing frequency.

Although this features high wattage stars, it represents a curiously anachronistic attempt at escapist fare.

There’s power in the message conveyed by writer/director Martin McDonagh’s screenplay; it’s less a drama and more a rumination about the failings of humanity.

Although there’s probably never a minute that goes by without some kind of barb being tossed, Ostlund reserves his sharpest daggers for illustrating how utterly out-of-touch the ultra-rich are.

It takes over an hour before "Amsterdam" decides what it wants to be and, by that time, viewers may be exasperated by the film’s quirkiness and exhausted by its meandering storyline.

Worth watching only for those with an insatiable curiosity to see how the iconic character was imagined 21 years prior to being deemed ready for a significant budget.