If David O. Russell’s new film was a Beatles song, it might well be ‘All You Need Is Love.’ That seems to be the message emanating from this all-star ensemble, a period comedy-drama that blends real-life but little-known political intrigue with a fictionalised story of the unbreakable bonds of friendship. Set primarily in 1933 in New York, the story circles around two American soldiers who fought together in the First World War. Christian Bale, a Russell regular from The Fighter and American Hustle, plays Burt Berendsen, who left the war minus an eye and now works as a doctor, helping those with serious wounds. His friend from the army is lawyer Harold Woodman (Tenet star John David Washington), who recruits Burt to perform an autopsy on the body of a senator. The politician’s daughter (Taylor Swift, excellent) suspects foul play. As the opening caption tells us, “A lot of this really happened”, with Russell’s script part-inspired by the so-called ‘Business Plot’, a real-life ruse to overthrow President Roosevelt.