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Amsterdam is an American period comedy mystery film directed, produced and written by David O. Russell. It was filmed in Los Angeles from January to March 2021, featuring an ensemble cast, including Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, John David Washington and Rami Malek. It was released on October 7, 2022.
Plot[]
In 1918, Burt Berendsen is sent by his estranged wife's parents to fight in World War I. While stationed in France, Burt meets and befriends soldier Harold Woodsman. After they sustain injuries in battle, Burt and Harold are nursed back to health by Valerie Voze, an eccentric nurse who makes art out of shrapnel removed from the soldiers, whom they befriend as well.
The three move to Amsterdam, where they live together and become close friends until Burt returns to New York City to be with his wife. Harold, who has fallen in love with Valerie and begun a tenuous romantic relationship with her, also leaves to go to New York and fulfill his own aspirations of becoming a lawyer.
Fifteen years later, Burt has opened his own medical practice catering to veterans of the war, and still remains friends with Harold, who is now a lawyer. However, they have not heard from Valerie since they left Amsterdam. Harold asks Burt to perform an autopsy on Bill Meekins (a senator who served as the commander of their regiment during the war) at the behest of Meekins' daughter Elizabeth, who believes that he was murdered. Burt performs the autopsy with the help of nurse Irma St. Clair. The autopsy reveals that Meekins has a considerable amount of poison in his stomach; Burt and Irma theorize that this must have been the cause of death. Burt and Harold meet with Elizabeth to talk about the autopsy results, but then, she is suddenly killed when a hitman pushes her into traffic. The hitman frames Burt and Harold for her death, and they flee as the police arrive.
Burt and Harold attempt to find out who had led Elizabeth to hire them in order to clear their names. This leads them to wealthy textile heir Tom Voze and his patronizing wife Libby. They learn that Valerie is Tom's sister and was the one who convinced Elizabeth to hire them, knowing that they were trustworthy. Valerie is under constant supervision by Tom and Libby, who claim that she suffers from a nerve disease. Burt and Harold talk with Tom, who suggests they talk to General Gil Dillenbeck, a famous and decorated veteran who was friends with Meekins.
While Burt attempts to contact the General, Harold and Valerie spend the day at her home, where they notice the hitman, Tarim Milfax. They follow him to a forced sterilization clinic owned by a mysterious organization known as the "Council of Five". After a fight with Milfax, Harold and Valerie reunite with Burt. Valerie takes them to the Waldorf Astoria New York, where they meet Paul Canterbury and Henry Norcross, Valerie's benefactors from Amsterdam, who are secretly spies in the intelligence community. Paul and Henry explain that the Council of Five are planning to overthrow the American government and that Dillenbeck can help them foil their plot.
The trio meet up with General Dillenbeck, who is offered a large sum of money from a man on behalf of an unnamed benefactor to deliver a speech advocating for veterans to forcibly remove President Franklin D. Roosevelt and install him as a puppet dictator instead. The General agrees and plans to speak at a reunion gala Burt and Harold are hosting in order to draw out whoever is behind the plot.
At the gala, General Dillenbeck reads his own speech instead of the one he was paid to read. Milfax intends to shoot him for doing so, but Harold and Valerie spot him and are able to stop him in time. Milfax is arrested and the Council of Five are revealed to be four industry leaders, including Tom, who are fanatically obsessed with Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler and intend to make America a fascist country.
Tom and the other leaders are arrested by the police, but they do not stay inside long and slander General Dillenbeck in the press following their release. General Dillenbeck testifies about the incident to Congress and returns home to live out his life. Harold and Valerie leave the country since they cannot be together in the United States. Burt wishes them farewell and plans to reopen his medical practice and pursue a relationship with Irma.
Cast[]
- Christian Bale as Burt Berendsen
- Margot Robbie as Valerie Voze
- John David Washington as Harold Woodsman
- Rami Malek as Tom Voze
- Zoë Saldaña as Irma St. Clair
- Robert De Niro as General Gil Dillenbeck
- Mike Myers as Paul Canterbury
- Timothy Olyphant as Tarim Milfax
- Michael Shannon as Henry Norcross
- Chris Rock as Milton King
- Anya Taylor-Joy as Libby Voze
- Andrea Riseborough as Beatrice Vandenheuvel
- Matthias Schoenaerts as Detective Lem Getwiller
- Alessandro Nivola as Detective Hiltz
- Leland Orser as Mr. Nevins
- Taylor Swift as Liz Meekins
- Sean Avery as Battalion Leader
Production[]
It was announced in January 2020 that David O. Russell would write and direct an untitled film starring Christian Bale for New Regency, with filming expected to begin that April. Margot Robbie and Michael B. Jordan were cast in February. Additionally, Jennifer Lawrence had been considered for Robbie's role, while Jamie Foxx was considered for Jordan's. Angelina Jolie passed on a role while Michael Shannon, Mike Myers and Robert De Niro were in talks to join the cast. In October, John David Washington joined the cast, replacing Jordan who dropped out due to scheduling conflicts, with filming delayed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Filming began in January 2021 in Los Angeles, with Rami Malek, Zoë Saldaña, De Niro, Myers, Timothy Olyphant, Shannon, Chris Rock, Anya Taylor-Joy, Andrea Riseborough, Matthias Schoenaerts, and Alessandro Nivola being added to the cast. In June, Taylor Swift was revealed as part of the cast.
Filming wrapped in March 2021.
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