IN A NUTSHELL:
In the 1930s, three friends witness a murder, are framed for it and uncover one of the most outrageous plots in American history.
Fun fact: The plot is based on an actual conspiracy in 1933 when American bankers and businessmen plotted a military coup to overthrow President Franklin D. Roosevelt to replace him with Major General Smedley Butler. The film was both written and directed by David O. Russell.
THINGS I LIKED:
The talented cast is almost endless and includes Hollywood A-listers and 3 Oscar winners, as well as 2 Oscar nominees ike Robert De Niro, Christian Bale, Rami Malek, Margot Robbie, John David Washington, Chris Rock, Anya Taylor-Joy, Zoe Saldana, Mike Myers, Michael Shannon, Timothy Olyphant, Andrea Riseborough, and even music icon Taylor Swift!
I didn't expect so much singing! Nice! Does anyone know if those actors were actually singing or dubbed?
It's fun to see comedian Chris Rock in this movie. Rumor has it that Christian Bale refused to talk to him because Christian was so worried Chris would make him laugh on set. Christian Bale was one of the producers of the film. In fact, the entire cast seemed to be having a ball. Watching actors enjoy their roles always makes it more enjoyable for audiences. The cast was so excited about working with the director and each other that they all lowered their regular fees.
The set designs and costumes easily set a believable tone for the period. Everything LOOKED great, including all of the actors. It's the telling of the story itself that prevented the movie from becoming a charming hit. Instead, it's expected to lose $97 million worldwide.
Trying to solve the whodunnit mystery is a fun element of the film, although most viewers won't care about the answer.
It's said that it cost $80 million to make this movie, partly because the sets had already been built in Boston but, due to the pandemic, the location had to be changed to Los Angeles.
THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE:
Unfortunately, the script didn't measure up to the vast talent of the cast. It's a matter of expectations not being met that has left most viewers deflated. When we see the impressive cast list, we naturally assume the movie is going to be great.
I've been to Amsterdam twice now. It's a beautiful city. I wish the movie had more street scenes to really get the vibe of the city. We don't even see any of the famous canals in the movie.
It's weird that even with so much star power, I was bored many times and couldn't wait for it to end.
The plot is convoluted and overstuffed. The movie felt like a patchwork quilt, stitched together with loose threads and random pieces of beautiful fabric. The parts were definitely better than the sum in this disappointing movie. It seems to be the victim of 14 different scripts that were worked on during the production.
TIPS FOR PARENTS:
We see a dead body being dissected in an autopsy
We see bloodied soldiers riddled with bullets that must be removed.
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