If ever a movie had a pedigree for success, this one would be right up there… but no. Writer-director David O. Russell gathered Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, John David Washington, Rami Malek, Michael Shannon, Zoe Saldana, and tons more for a re-telling of the real-life 1930s conspiracy to remove FDR from office and replace him with a fascist dictator. Alas, as with Russell’s last film (2015’s dismal ‘Joy’), all the star power in the world can’t overcome an awful, wandering script and (surprisingly) lackluster direction. This is the same guy who gave us ‘Flirting with Disaster’ and ‘Silver Linings Playbook’?
1/5 stars