There seems to be an increasing trend of filmmaking these days which blur the lines between truth and fiction. While some might say this has always been the case, I think many of us accepted that a fundamental part of the narrative was true with some embellishments added to enhance the drama. After all, it has often been said to never let the truth get in the way of a good story!

However, I have noticed that more and more it is a granule of truth to which a narrative is based that is surrounded by fiction, yet I don’t think our previous acceptances have caught up. Given that it has been found that viewers will believe fiction when it is presented as fact, is it up to the film makers to point out the fact from fiction? Should it be made clearer that what the audience is about to consume is a work of fiction or should we just know that going in?

Amsterdam uses a true event which is known as the “Business Plot” to base a comedy murder mystery around it. The film opens with the line “A lot of this actually happened” and while it does give light to a remarkable political conspiracy alleged to have occurred to a wider audience who would largely be unaware of it, the film itself has little to do with the truth of those events.

Despite that ambiguous opening line, I took it in my stride. I’m the type of person who will go and read the trivia about the film after watching it and seek out some fact from fiction in my own time. So I very quickly got onto just enjoying the film.

There have been some mixed reviews of Amsterdam (beyond the fact vs fiction element), but I liked it. I found it to be a light, quirky, and funny film and what I really took away from it was a story of friendship built on trust and respect. The film’s title itself refers a period during the first world war where the three leads meet each other and make a friendship pact which is the catalyst to the murder mystery they find themselves involved in.

The biggest draw card Amsterdam has is its star-studded cast and unsurprisingly Christian Bale shines in an excellent performance. He has this ability to transform into the character he is portraying no matter the film. Which also reminded me of how under-utilized he was in Thor: Love and Thunder. I also really bought into the chemistry between Bale, Robbie, and Washington whom the story follows.

Visually it is a good-looking film that includes picturesque sets and some gorgeous costumes. I also really enjoyed the accompanying soundtrack, which was beautifully scored.

While I enjoyed Amsterdam, it didn’t quite seem to hit the heights that it perhaps could have. It’s not a spectacular or complicated plot. The narrative can be a bit clumsy at times which gives the appearance that it is more complex than it is.

That said the film has plenty of moments that have you laughing and gasping in the right spots and may even warm your heart at times.