Is Amsterdam Based On A True Story? How Much Of The Plot Really Happened (2024)

Writer-director David O. Russell’s latest, Amsterdam, is about a trio of friends who are implicated in the murder of a US senator, and wind up unearthing a fascist plot leading many to wonder is Amsterdam a true story. The film stars Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, and John David Washington, and features a star-studded supporting cast. Though the movie was poorly received, the Amsterdam true story behind some of the plot details is a fascinating one worth diving deeper into.

Amsterdam’s characters had to contend with not only the murder of an old friend (which they were framed for) but of a bigger and far more nefarious plot than they could have ever imagined being involved in. Those Amsterdam main characters were at the center of it all without realizing until the end. But while Amsterdam ties up everything by its end, the fact that it is based on — or inspired by — real events led audiences to wonder how much is true, and how much is fabricated to serve Russell’s own story. Though the movie received mixed reviews, the Amsterdam true story tale is even more compelling.

What Amsterdam Is Based On: True Story Explained

The Amsterdam true story revolved around the Business Plot of 1933, a political conspiracy that aimed to overthrow President Franklin D. Roosevelt by forcefully planting a dictator in his place. This was to be a veteran-led coup, with wealthy businessmen — who wanted fascism in a bid to follow in Germany and Italy’s footsteps at the time — at the center of it all. The coup was also meant to place retired Marine Corps Major General Smedley Butler (who Robert De Niro’s character General Gil Dillenbeck is based on) as the dictator, though he ultimately testified against the businessmen in front of a special committee serving under the US House of Representatives.

Although the Special Committee on Un-American Activities ultimately ruled that the coup was indeed planned, none of the wealthy businessmen, allegedly including J.P. Morgan, a banker, involved in the Business Plot were actually prosecuted. They also denied that a coup was being planned at all. The Business Plot is ultimately a little-known aspect of history — namely because General Smedley Butler’s accusations were dismissed despite the confirmation that a fascist plot did, in fact, exist. It's given a life of its own in Russell’s film. What’s more, the veteran reunion in the film takes its inspiration from the true story of the 1939 Nazi-affiliated rally that was held at Madison Square Garden, which was held several years after the events of Amsterdam.

The Real-Life People Burt, Harold & Valerie Are Based On

While Burt Berendsen, Harold Woodard, and Valerie Voze are all characters made up for Amsterdam, they are based (very loosely) on real people. Burt, in particular, is based on a man named Dr. Shields, a military officer. Margot Robbie’s character Valerie was based on many female artists of the era, including Georgia O’Keeffe and Meret Oppenheim. While Harold isn’t described as being necessarily influenced by any one person from the 1930s, John David Washington researched the lives of African Americans — in the US and in Amsterdam — during that time period to help inform the character of Harold.

David O. Russell wanted a trio of friends at the forefront of Amsterdam, which came to mind after seeing photos of people dancing during that time period. The idea that the main characters were just a trio of regular people who happened to stumble into something huge like a conspiracy to overthrow the US government gives Amsterdam a grounding point. During a press conference, Russell elaborated on why he chose to focus on seemingly anonymous people, because “a lot of history's not recorded. So we took some recorded history that's explosive and fascinating, that's our secret plutonium for any filmmaker to share as a dramatic tool.”

Russell created the trio’s friendship to explore their sense of freedom in the close bond they shared, as well as the untapped potential in the parts of history — and, by extension, the nuances of people’s lives — that might get lost or deemed unimportant.

How Much Of Amsterdam’s Plot Really Happened?

While the Amsterdam true story is a forgotten part of history, much of the film is a fabricated story written to aid the Business Plot arc and Gil Dillenbeck’s final speech at the end of Amsterdam. Burt, Harold, and Valerie are fictitious characters — though some were based on real people — who were never involved in the murder of Bill Meekins or the Business Plot in 1933. What’s more, as far as research can tell, a man named Bill Meekins was never killed in the 1930s. And since many of the businessmen’s names remained hidden, there is no evidence pointing to Anya Taylor-Joy and Rami Malek's characters' involvement.

In place of the veteran reunion party, General Smedley Butler was asked to give a speech by Gerald C. Macguire, a bond salesman, at the American Legion convention, which was for veterans. Similar to what happens in the film to Dillenbeck, General Smedley Butler goes along with the pro-fascist plot so that he could gather intelligence on them.

While Amsterdam never sees Dillenbeck speaking in front of Congress, the film ends with Smedley Butler’s speech — the same one De Niro’s character gives — denouncing fascism and speaking out about the coup. In the film, this speech is made public, but that never really happened. All told, Butler’s involvement is the biggest event that was adapted onscreen outside the Business Plot schemes.

Does The Committee Of Five Actually Exist (& Who Do They Take Their Name From)?

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The Committee of Five plays a crucial role in Amsterdam, and it’s their fascist plot that Burt, Harold, and Valerie work to stop before it can have detrimental effects. The Committee of Five did actually exist, but the real-life version had no relation to fascism or to businessmen in the 1930s. Rather, the name seems like a nod to the Committee of Five — John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Livingston, Roger Sherman and Thomas Jefferson — who, as a part of the Second Continental Congress, drafted the Declaration of Independence. The film’s version of the Committee of Five is contrasted with the real-life version, whose members were in favor of democracy, whereas Tom Voze and the wealthy businessmen in Amsterdam were staunchly against it.

The film juxtaposes the two iterations to make a point about the rise of fascism and its threat to democracy. Though Russell’s film is set in the 1930s, its themes, and what the Committee of Five stands for — in fiction and in reality — remains a timely matter. The Committee of Five could also be a reference to the American Liberty League, the association Smedley Butler believed was behind the coup. Unlike the Committee of Five, however, the American Liberty League was publicly acknowledged, and one of their goals was to put an end to Roosevelt's New Deal.

Was Bill Meekins Really A US Senator?

In Amsterdam, Bill Meekins is not only a highly regarded military veteran and friend of Harold and Burt’s, he is also a senator. Regarding whether Bill Meekins was actually a US senator, he was not, and his political station was created for Amsterdam’s story. While Meekins’ murder is at the center of the film’s plot and drives Burt, Harold, and Valerie’s entire journey, there is no evidence that a senator by that name existed, let alone poisoned and killed by Benito Mussolini’s men. Certainly, a lot of creative liberties were taken and the movie's historical accuracy is dubious, but viewers can walk away from the film having learned something about history that has been rarely, if ever, brought to light in this way.

Why Christian Bale And David O'Russell Brought The Amsterdam True Story To Screen

The Amsterdam true story makes it more compelling but the origin of the movie itself did not start with these obscure historical facts. In an interview (via Deadline), David O. Russell and Christian Bale revealed that Amsterdam was a movie they had been working on together for years, following their last collaboration on American Hustle. The two would meet at weekly dinners for a number of years and discuss ideas for the movie. However, Russell claims it all started with Bale's Amsterdam hero character of Burt Berendsen as they were intrigued by the idea of a doctor character who suffered great trauma (World War I in this case) yet held onto his optimism when treating people.

From there, Russell began exploring the history of America at the time and made these surprising discoveries. While it makes for an interesting approach to the movie and one that both Russell and Bale are clearly passionate about, it might also explain some of Amsterdam's poor reviews. The central story of the friendship and these characters Russell and Bale started with were betrayed by a complicated plot of admittedly interesting aspects of American history making the final movie feel like an awkward mesh of too many ideas.

What America Was Like During The Amsterdam True Story

While the movie touches on aspects of the time, the Amsterdam true story is given a lot more context when considering the state of America at this time. The threat of the Nazis was only beginning to come into understanding with Adolf Hitler's rise to power in Germany, though the events of World War II were a long way off. Like many movies set in the 1930s, Amsterdam touches on the financial hardships of the time and the Great Depression.

However, the movie doesn't delve into these areas in any meaningful way, considering they played a much bigger role in the real Business Plot than the rise of Nazism in America. With countless Americans out of work and living in immense poverty, the soldiers returning from World War I were especially impacted by the Great Depression. A veterans march on Washington to demand early payment of their soldier bonuses was one of the events that led to Roosevelt beating President Hoover in the next election and beginning to process of the New Deal.

Some Critics Weren't Happy With The True Story Changes Made

Despite the intrigue of the Amsterdam true story, the star-studded movie flopped, both at the box office and with critics. While there were a number of complaints leveled against David O. Russell's stories, one specific complaint was aimed at the heroic depiction of the character of Gil Dillenbeck. As Dillenbeck serves as the stand-in for real-life figure Smedley Butler, the movie makes him out to be a man of unbreakable principles who supports Black veterans, risks his life to take down the Nazis, and is a war hero in his own right.

Journalist Jonathan M. Katz is a journalist who wrote a book about the Amsterdam true story and told Los Angeles Times the movie is about "10%" accurate. He specifically points out that, while the medals Dillenbeck is seen to have earned are accurate to Butler's achievements, how he got them is far from heroic. Katz explains that two Medals of Honor Butler received from "places Butler went and crushed democracy," pointing to the occupation of Haiti and an invasion into Mexico where most of the causalities were women and children. Though the name is changed in the movie depicting Butler's fictional stand-in as the hero of the story in Amsterdam is uncomfortable given these facts.