Who's Con-ing Who? - American Hustle Review

There have been many sure things over the years. For example, sports had Tiger Woods, who in the late 90's and early to mid 2000's was as close to a sure thing as you could get in golf. Declaring any film or TV show as a sure thing is always risky business. There have been plenty of movies with great casts and great directors over the years. Sometimes the product equals the sum of the parts, other times, the film fails due to some factor, whether it being writing or another piece of the equation like camerawork. American Hustle, upon hearing it's cast and director, struck me as something that had to be sure a thing, there's no way a movie with this much talent could fail. After all, the previous two David O. Russell films, Silver Linings Playbook and The Fighter, were phenomenal. So after all the hype, does American Hustle equal the sum of it's parts?

American Hustle stars Christian Bale, about 40 pounds heavier than his Bruce Wayne incarnation, as Irving Rosenfeld, a con man. He's joined by his seductive mistress, Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams). With Prosser posing as the British royal "Edith Greensley" the two go on a long run of cons before being caught by FBI agent Richie Di Maso (Bradley Cooper). Di Maso arrests Sydney and tells Irving that he'll release her if he helps him with four additional arrests. Angry at Irving, Sydney reluctantly agrees to go along with Irving's plan but starts her own plot of seducing and manipulating Di Maso over the course of the operation. Di Maso sets his sights on New Jersey politician, Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner), who, while crooked, is simply trying to do the best for his community. The biggest threat to the con doesn't come from Polito's men but rather from Rosenfeld's own wife, Rosalyn played by Jennifer Lawrence. She doesn't know much, but she knows just enough to keep Irving from divorcing her, the most important of which is their son, Danny. The plot of the film plays out beautifully as a reinterpretation of the "Abscam" FBI operation in 1978, where the film also takes place. The film opens with the line "Some of this actually happened" which adds to the whole atmosphere. The plot glides along the movie beautifully as the themes of ambition and self-preservation are driven home. Each character is cunning and seems to be working to screw over everyone else in order for them to get out unscathed. There's a real sense that you don't really know who is conning who in these circumstances. There's also a strong theme of reinvention and being able to make yourself into anything. Bale's quote of "people see what they want to see" rings true throughout the whole movie as the con warps the character's perspectives.

J-Law doesn't get as much screentime as the rest of the all-star cast and yet manages to steal every scene she's in

In a movie with such a loaded cast it's no surprise that American Hustle succeeds largely based on it's characters. David Russell unites the stars of his last two movies with great success. Russell's writing always seems intent on giving us characters who always seem on the verge of imploding or exploding. The dialogue seems to evoke the same style that Silver Linings Playbook did. Like I said before, each of the characters feels incredibly driven and reeks of ambition. The lone exception might be Irving, who seems most intent on self-preservation and reinventing himself into something decent. Of the entire cast however, it's Amy Adams' and Bradley Cooper's ambition which seems to drive the film. Adams, as Prosser, is right at home and is probably as sexy as ever in the film. However, her character is extremely cunning and smart. Cooper, as Di Maso, is ambitious and desires to make something of himself. He sees this con as the operation which will make him a big deal at the FBI. However, there's a strong feeling that he's in over his head and doesn't entirely know who he's dealing with. Cooper plays Di Maso perfectly, exhibiting the same level of unpredictability that he showed in Silver Linings Playbook. Jeremy Renner also puts in a fine performance as Polito, playing him exactly as he should, a desperate guy who just wants the best for his community. The film loves to remind us the conning is a terrible business, one which preys on the desperate. There's no real heroes in this film, everybody is crooked in their own way, but Polito is the one we end up having sympathy for.

However, the real star of the film is Jennifer Lawrence as Rosalyn. Speaking of sure things, Jennifer Lawrence is probably the closest thing we've seen to one for actresses in years. Rosalyn is the source of most of the film's comedy and Lawrence plays her perfectly. You always get the impression that Rosalyn is smarter than she puts on. Each scene she's in is a much watch, whether she's setting the house on fire or cleaning the house while rocking out to "Live and Let Die". Jennifer Lawrence has acting talent beyond her years and if this film doesn't place her at the top of the Best Supporting Actress category then the Oscars truly are a sham. One of the best surprises of the film was Robert De Niro's cameo as mobster Victor Tellegio who is perfectly menacing, an indication that the characters have gone beyond their depth in the con. Another actor who deserves his due is Louis C.K. as Di Maso's boss, Stottard Thorsen. Of all the characters, Thorsen's more calm and less ambitious demeanor, counters Cooper perfectly and their scenes together are some of the film's best.

American Hustle not only looks great but sounds great as well. It's a time capsule, a throwback to a bygone era of America. The character's outfits are typically glitzy and reflective of the themes of ambition and reinvention. These characters certainly look the part of the people that they wish to become. The soundtrack is a classic rock feast, which is only natural since the film takes place in the 70's. Russell is a master of setting the tone for his films and American Hustle fails to disappoint, it's tone reflecting the themes of the film. In some scenes a character will silently mouth the lyrics to the song playing, the movie's flow never stops. The music of greed never ceases. Sometimes it feels as if the film is satirizing classic crime films. Di Maso's eagerness and almost boy scout like enthusiasm to hustling seems to reflect the feelings of the audience who in the past found cons like the one in Oceans Eleven ourageously cool. There's Irving Rosenfeld who seems to satirize the romanticization of con men and criminals with his "elaborate" combover and lack of physique. Then there's Adams and Lawrence who's sexy characters embody the riches and spoils of criminality. Renner represents the darkest side of the con, those desperate people who end up exploited. The film walks a fine line between the traditional romanticization of these criminals and parodying them. In both respects, the film does a fantastic job.

American Hustle is a real cinematic experience, a brilliantly layered film which says enough to fill it's over two hour runtime. There's plenty of laughs, plenty of slick dialogue, and enough brilliant cinematography to immediately make it a classic. Fueled by a fantastic cast, there was no way that this film could have failed. So yes, labeling anything as a sure thing in the film business is risky, but based off of David Russell's past three films, including this one, he might be as sure of a thing as I've ever seen.

My Score: 5/5