REVIEW: American Hustle

"Everyone hustles to survive."

This quote pretty much sums up the meaning of David O. Russell's latest film, American Hustle.  Everyone has their own plan, and together they all deceive each other.  Paying tribute to movies like Goodfellas, this movie hits almost all the right notes, thus making a fantastic film.

This film tells the story of the mastermind con artist, Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale), and his partner in crime, Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams).  Together they make conning people a career, and eventually make quite a nice sum of money doing so.  However, in a careless act, they are caught and forced to work for a wild FBI agent, Richie DeMaso (Bradley Cooper).  DiMaso pushes the group into a world of Jersey power-brokers and mafia that's as dangerous as it is enchanting.  He plans to catch the caring and passionate New Jersey mayor, Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner), as well as other politicians, in the act of accepting brides and tying them back to the mafia.  Everything is planned almost perfectly, but Irving's unpredictable wife Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence) could be the one to pull the thread that brings the entire plan crashing down.  With politicians, con artists, and the mafia, no one can be trusted, and anything could happen.

This movie has all the look and feel of a classic Martin Scorsese film, despite the fact that it's directed by David O. Russell.  American Hustle features a dynamic story with a strong script as well as an incredibly talented cast.

The story has essentially everything that you'd ever want in an organized crime movie.  It has con artists, politicians, the mafia, twists and turns, and suspense.  And this is one movie where absolutely nobody can be trusted, because everyone is working to fulfill their own personal desires.  What drew me into the movie instantly was the first title card: "Some of this actually happened."  Yes, the movie is based on a true story.  The movie is based on Abscam, which featured the FBI and con artists trying to bust politicians.  But, the movie adds a lot to the story to make it more engaging and real.  Like many of O. Russell's films, the subject matter is serious, and therefore there is a dramatic tone.  However, there are enough laughs to add in a comedic tone as well.  Within the first five minutes, most of the people in my theater were already laughing out loud.  It's the mix of drama and comedy, fact and fiction that make the story engaging.

That being said, the film does suffer from some pacing problems.  With a runtime of over 2 hours, I found myself checking my watch more times than I expected.  That's not to say that the film is boring, it simply dragged in a few areas.  Also, pay careful attention to what's going on at all times.  If you miss some of the dialogue within the first hour, you will be totally lost.  The hustle that the individuals are trying to accomplish is rather complex, and if you don't pay absolute attention, you won't understand.  I personally found that they could have laid out their plan in a slightly easier way for audiences to understand.  But if you're engaged in the movie, you won't be lost.

Any minor problems that the film suffers from is made up for by the talent of the cast.  The big five stars of this movie, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Renner, and Jennifer Lawrence, all give top-notch performances.  First, props to Bale for putting on all the weight for this role.  You can clearly tell he took his job seriously and he nails the character.  Bradley Cooper captures the wide array of emotions of the character and the pressure he feels to get the job right.  Jeremy Renner, who is not getting a lot of attention by many critics, does a phenomenal job, and definitely deserves more praise.  But it's the females of the film that steal the show.  Both Adams and Lawrence are pure perfection.  Adams is deceitful and you never know when she can be trusted.  Plus, she does a good British accent.  As for Jennifer Lawrence, she steals every scene she is in.  She is not in the movie a lot, but chances are you'll remember her performance a long time after the movie is over.  As she cranks out more and more fantastic performances, she is easily making her way into A-list status.  I would even go so far as to say that she will be this generation's Meryl Streep.  That being said, the entire cast does great, and we'll definitely see some Oscar nominations for their performances.

American Hustle is by no means a perfect film.  I also don't think it's O. Russell's greatest work.  (I think Silver Linings Playbook was his best.)  But American Hustle still boasts a lot of great stuff that easily make it worth a watch and will garner it a lot of awards over the course of this Awards Season.

RATING: 4.5 / 5

This film is rated R (pervasive language, some sexual content, and brief violence)

*A review of the highly controversial The Wolf of Wall Street will be posted in the coming days.  Be sure to check it out!

**Also, the ice story in the film is never finished! To anyone who has seen the movie, comment below and let us know how you think the story ended.