Netflix adds ‘classic’ period drama with impressive A-list cast

Christian Bale, Margot Robbie and John David Washington star in the New York-set drama (Picture: Shutterstock)

Netflix is adding a 1930s period drama starring Christian Bale, Margot Robbie and John David Washington to its ranks.

Directed by David O. Russell, Amsterdam is set in the New York of 1933, and follows three friends who witness a shocking murder.

After being suspected of the crime, the three pals are sent down a dark path that leads all the way to the White House, where a sinister plot to overthrow President Franklin D. Roosevelt awaits.

In addition to its leads, the film also stars Hollywood heavy-hitters like Zoe Saldana, Rami Malek, Anya Taylor-Joy and Robert De Niro.

All-star cameos also include Austin Powers’ Mike Myers, comedian Chris Rock, and global pop icon Taylor Swift.

The film will be released on Netflix in the UK today, giving viewers a chance to catch up on this star-studded blend of mystery, comedy and thriller.

The trio stars as friends Burt, Valerie and Harold (Picture: Shutterstock) The three friends uncover a life-threatening conspiracy (Picture: Shutterstock)

Amsterdam has proved a hit with audiences since its release in 2022, contributing to its 66% positive audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

‘This is a classic—beautiful acting, writing, and story. I’ve watched it twice and will watch it again!’ wrote user Marty W.

Peter S described it as an ‘artistic tour de force,’ writing: ‘Absolutely remarkable. Truly stupendous directing, turning a perfectly fine plot into a art form of a higher level.’

‘Thought it was tremendous and hilarious. Quirky, intelligent, original,’ said Albert L.

‘An American conspiracy film based on real events that had no right being this fantastic and wonderfully fun,’ said Drake T.

However, critics have been more divided on Amsterdam, leading to a more disappointing 31% ‘rotten’ score from critics on the review aggregator.

Metro’s Larushka Ivan-Zadeh gave it 2 stars out of 5, describing it as ‘simultaneously frantic and inert,’ while calling out the film for its ‘painful’ script.

Meanwhile, The Observer described its exposition-heavy story as ‘meandering,’ while Boston Herald likened it to a ‘beautiful corpse.’

Those on the other side of the fence found more to like in its energy and vibrancy, with Time Out describing it as ‘exuberant,’ as ScreenCrush highlighted its ‘outstanding components.’

Robert De Niro plays General Gilbert Dillenbeck (Picture: Shutterstock)

Speaking of how she prepared for her role of Valerie Voze, Barbie star Robbie described how she managed to put director Russell to sleep while reading lines.

In an interview with Radio 1’s Ali Plumb, she explained: ‘One day, he made me come in to read like 40 pages of dialogue. I start to read and he says “No no no, more calm, more relaxed”.

‘So I did it again…and he was like “No, no no. I want you to read it like you just took 3 Xanax.’

The film was released in 2022 (Picture: Shutterstock)

After achieving the character’s distinctive manner of speech, Robbie began to notice Russell’s head nodding, as though her was falling asleep.

‘I thought to myself, “I’m literally putting him to sleep!”‘ Margot laughed.

‘So I stop and ask him if he wants me to put more energy into it. And he goes “No! You’re doing it perfectly.”

‘And so I did the whole thing until he was fully asleep and snoring!’

Netflix viewers won’t want to sleep on this one, even if its director struggled to keep his eyes open.

Amsterdam is streaming on Netflix UK now.

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