The main trio is the core of the film, a random group of three friends (imagine these three actors befriending each other in Hollywood today!) who travel to Amsterdam and witness a murder. As they become suspects themselves, they are forced to band together and find the real killer – even if he or she is hiding between the three of them.
“Well, two soldiers and a nurse found themselves in Amsterdam,” recounts Bale’s gruff soldier. “We made a pact and swore to protect each other no matter what.”
The comedy takes place in the 1930s, following the horse races of our two soldiers, a nurse, and a supporting cast of the biggest names in pop culture. While Russell’s frequent collaborators such as Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper continue to appear this time around, Christian Bale (who won an Oscar for his turn in Russell’s The Fighter) and Robert De Niro return for duty .
If Aaron Sorkin thought he had the best of Hollywood’s best in Don’t Look Up, Amsterdam backs him up. Robbie, Bale and Washington star in the film, but Rami Malek, Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Rock, Zoe Saldana, Mike Myers, Michael Shannon, Timothy Olyphant, Andrea Riseborough, Matias Senerts, Alessandro Nivola, Robert De Niro and… Taylor Swift also makes an appearance.
Which begs the question: Why did all these Hollywood darlings want to work with David O. Russell, of all people? After the trailer was released today, social media users wasted no time in pointing out the director’s shady past, which is tainted with a powerful sex-harassment bombshell. There’s a reason Russell has been on hiatus for seven years.
“I want to freak out about the movie with Margot Robbie and Taylor Swift, but it’s more important to point out the horrible things David O. Russell has been accused of,” wrote one, echoing a common sentiment. Others pointedly reminded fans of the accusations leveled against Russell several years ago.
In 2012, Russell’s 19-year-old niece, Nicole Peloquin, accused the director of fondling her breasts and putting his hands near her genitals. Adding to the revulsion, Russell prodded his niece about her ongoing transition – after describing the hormones she was using, the director slipped his hands under her shirt to feel her breasts.
The director did not dispute the incident, adding only that Peloquin was “behaving very defiantly towards him”. He faced no charges.
And yet, the show must go on? Amsterdam opens in theaters on November 4.
