Amsterdam (2022)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
Three friends reunite to uncover a conspiracy following the murder of a retired U.S. general.
The story
Based on the Business Plot, a 1933 political conspiracy in the US, the film follows three friends—a doctor, a nurse, and a lawyer—who reunite and seek to uncover the truth following the mysterious murder of a retired U.S. general. The story begins in 1918, where the trio meets during World War I. Years later, the doctor and the lawyer, who have not heard from the nurse since they lived together in Amsterdam, are forced to investigate the death of a former commander. Their investigation leads them into a web of secrets involving a wealthy family and a mysterious organization with ties to the government.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1918, Burt Berendsen, Harold Woodman, and Valerie Bandenberg become close friends while serving in World War I. After the war, they live together in Amsterdam before parting ways. In the present, Burt and Harold reunite when they are hired by Elizabeth Meekins to perform an autopsy on her father, a former senator. The autopsy reveals he was poisoned. When Elizabeth is murdered and framed them for her death, the pair flee and begin investigating. They encounter the wealthy Voze family, where they find Valerie, who is being kept under control by her siblings. The investigation leads them to a secret organization, the 'Committee of the Five,' which plans to overthrow the U.S. government and install a puppet dictator. The trio meets with General Gil Dillenbeck to foil the plot. At a gala, the truth about the conspiracy is revealed, and the conspirators are arrested. Dillenbeck testifies to Congress, and while Harold and Valerie must leave the country to be together, Burt remains to reopen his practice and pursue a relationship with his friend Irma.
- First release year
- 2022
- Runtime (minutes)
- 134
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- David O. Russell
- Writers
- David O. Russell · writer
- Cast and characters
- Christian Bale · Burt Berendsen; John David Washington · Harold; Margot Robbie · Valerie; Chris Rock; Anya Taylor-Joy; Zoe Saldaña; Mike Myers; Michael Shannon; Timothy Olyphant; Andrea Riseborough; Taylor Swift; Matthias Schoenaerts
- Genres
- mystery; comedy; thriller
- Themes
- friendship; conspiracy
- Tone and mood
- whimsical; tense
- Premise and plot tags
- historical; political; mystery
- Source material / true-story basis
- The Business Plot
- Reception
- The film received generally negative reviews from critics, who criticized the screenplay, direction, and lack of chemistry between lead actors. It was also a box-office failure, losing the studio over $100 million.
- Reported review scores
- CinemaScore · score: B · scale: A+ to F; PostTrak · score: 72% · scale: percent
- Production trivia
- The film's title was revealed at CinemaCon in April 2022.; The production was completed without a single shut down despite high COVID-19 rates in the filming location.; The film was originally scheduled for a November 4, 2022 release but was moved up to avoid a conflict with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…