Amsterdam is a fabulous movie. Bale plays Peter Falk, and does so amusingly. The chemistry between Bale, Margot Robbie, and John David Washington is off the charts. DeNiro and Mike Myers are at their best too, as is everyone in the brilliant cast. The screenplay is the best of Russell's career.

The movie looks back at the Nazis and the ultra-rich businessmen who tried to change history for the worse in the 1930s. It looks forward to the very same kinds of people who have risen again in the 2020s. The underlying theme is the struggle to save democracy.

At the same time the film is frequently hilarious. It's romantic and beautiful too, and toward the end suspenseful. Try to imagine a mixture of Wes Anderson, Woody Allen, and Alfred Hitchcock.

Amsterdam was a financial flop when it appeared, perhaps because it appeared at an early post-pandemic moment when reviewers and audiences shied away from anything even remotely challenging. But Amsterdam is one of the great films of this century. It gives great pleasure and deserves to be beloved.