I'm Obsessed with This Underrated Murder Mystery Thriller—and It Stars Denzel Washington's Son *and* Taylor Swift

Given that Swift is one of the biggest music superstars in the world, it’s not very often you get to see her in acting mode. Granted her character, Elizabeth Meek, is only on-screen for about five minutes total, but in those few minutes, she manages to steal the show. There is something specific that happens with her character that has managed to go viral on multiple occasions. I won’t spoil it, but just know it is now recognized as a classic Swiftie meme.

I’ve already mentioned some of the names, but how often is it that you get the likes of Robert De Niro, Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, Zoe Saldana, John David Washington and more all in one film? Lost within the criticism are the brilliant performances. Robbie, in particular, brilliantly takes on a character whose “mysterious” illness is progressing throughout the course of the film, which means you slowly see her deteriorating. She doesn't get enough credit for her role in my opinion.

Also, I have to call out the performance of Rami Malek (who won a “Best Actor” Academy Award for his portrayal of Freddie Mercury in the 2019 Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody) as he was captivating.

Maybe I’m weird, but anytime I watch a period piece, I’m always looking to see if they nailed the costuming and setting associated with that particular time period. Amsterdam gets it right, especially when it comes to representing 1930s New York City. For example, there is a brief scene that takes place in the Waldorf Astoria, and it actually looks exactly like the ‘30s version of the building in terms of its design. Another attention grabbing element involves the cars, which are represented by classic Cadillacs, BMWs and, of course, the Mercedes Benz, all of which are shown during the outside/street shots of the movie.

Contrary to popular belief, Amsterdam is not a remake of an older film, nor is it pulled from a book/play—the storyline is completely original, which is something many of us film heads have been begging for.  There is no sense complaining about remakes if we’re not going to support the directors, writers and actors that take the dedicated time and effort to put together a movie from scratch. Plus, this movie is a murder mystery, and with murder mysteries come…plot twists.