| | New Amsterdam (2008) The main character is John Amsterdam (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), a New York homicide detective who is immortal. Amsterdam was a Dutch soldier in the year 1642 when he stepped in front of a sword to save the life of a Native American girl during a massacre of her indigenous tribe. The girl in turn rescued Amsterdam by weaving an ancient spell that conferred immortality upon him. It was also prophesied that he would not age until he finds his one true love, and only then will he become whole and ready for mortality. His immortality has resulted in Amsterdam spending over three centuries of his life marked by loss as his friends gradually grow old and die while he is forced to remain alive. Amsterdam is also a former alcoholic who regularly attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, having remained sober since 1965. The basic story has many similarities to the plot of the Pete Hamill book, Forever, which tells the story of an Irish boy who travels to New York to avenge his parent's death, only to be granted immortality as a reward for saving the life of a slave. The only catch is he can't leave Manhattan, or he'll die.
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