Amsterdam

 Long ago, David O'Russell assured us that "some of this actually happened" in his film, American Hustle. His newest film, Amsterdam, bluntly tells us "A lot of this actually happened." You might ask "what happened?" after watching it. 

It's 1933 and Roosevelt is in office. Burt Berendsen (Christian Bale) is a war veteran who specializes in patching up fellow vets. He and his war buddy Harold Woodsman (John David Washington) are excited that their old General, now-Senator Meekins (Ed Begley Jr.) is speaking at their regiment's reunion. But they never expected to be reunited with the man's corpse. Meekins is dead, most likely murdered, and somebody's responsible. That's what his daughter, Liz (Taylor Swift), wants to find out. But then she's pushed into traffic and the guys are accused of it.

They turn to their mutual friend and wartime nurse, Valerie Voze (Margot Robbie). They spent the best years of their lives in Amsterdam (which explains the title). But they have quite a bit to unravel in New York. Our heroes slowly realize the Meekins' deaths are part of the real-life Business Plot. Only the "cooperation" of fellow vet Gil Dillenbeck (Robert De Niro) can root out the conspirators.

Its story is its biggest mystery. We have a real-life conspiracy and an assassin (Timothy Olyphant) & two cops (Matthias Schoenarts and Alessandro Niva) chasing our heroes. But the heavies are barely there to pose a threat. The film stops dead right when the guys go running for their long wartime back story. A major revelation is reduced to another flashback instead of real time. Its often-meandering exposition is liable to make one zone out. Burt's strained relationship with his wife Beatrice (Andrea Risenborough) is delegated to tell, not show. Its ending is so rushed that you'll feel little when Burt talks about appreciating the little things in life. You're bound to feel its 135-minute runtime before long.

It's not a complete loss. The main trio have some good chemistry together, which made the flashback tolerable. Burt's screwball antics are amusing, and Harold is a fine sane man. You'll be jolted once you realize the truth behind Valerie's supposed neurological condition and that her brother, Tom (Rami Malek), is a conspirator. An imagine spot of hers at the end is as funny as it is shocking. Michael Shannon and Mike Myers have some fun bits as our main trio's benefactors, while Chris Rock makes the most of his limited screentime as Milton, another of Burt and Harold's army buddies. 

The technical aspects are also commendable. The production and costume designs create a visually appealing manifestation of old New York. The makeup department have their own striking contributions: war wounds, Burt's disheveled look and his patchwork faces for fellow vets. The film maybe overlong, but editor Jay Cassidy deserves some kudos for that imagine spot. It's all set to a memorably whimsical score by Daniel Pemberton that would fit right in a Wes Anderson film.

Amsterdam wants to be a screwball mystery and a sentimental drama. It can't pull off that juggling act, but it tries. The conspiracy plot is its most fascinating aspect, especially when it introduces Dillenbeck's inspiration, Gen. Smedley Butler. It's still quite amusing, and its main trio is likable. See it if you want. But I suggest you read about the actual plot as soon as possible. It's quite a read.