The opening scene of American Hustle features an overweight Christian Bale adjusting his fake hair and preparing to rip off every politician and businessman he knows. All in a day’s work. This image alone is enough to capture the viewer’s attention, and the movie does a fantastic job of maintaining such intrigue from beginning to end.
Bale’s character is Irving Rosenfeld, an expert con artist who works with his seductive business partner and mistress Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams). Adams’ character plays the role of a British investor, claiming to have royal- banking connections in London. Together, the two stage the ultimate heist, with the help of the twisted FBI Agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper).
Ripping off everyone from the esteemed Mayor Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner) to Irving’s wife Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence), the duo of professional criminals plunges deeper and deeper into the mafia underworld.
Director David O’Russell presents himself as a Martin Scorsese of sorts, as this film is a great tribute to Goodfellas. Having proven himself in the past with Oscar winners such as The Fighter and Silver Linings Playbook, the extremely talented filmmaker doesn’t disappoint this time around. Using a highly inventive and somewhat retro style, O’Russell immerses audiences into this world of crime and deception throughout the course of the movie’s two-and-a-half-hour runtime.
O’Russell and relative newcomer Eric Singer’s script is as exquisite and rich in dialogue as something by Aaron Sorkin or Steven Zaillian. Not only is it a terrific story, but none of the characters are one-dimensional. Instead they are complex, intriguing and brought to life beautifully by the cast. In a scene between Irving and Sydney, Sydney says to him, “You’re nothing to me until you’re everything.” Thematic material, such as this, illustrates the brilliance of this film, as it examines the darker and morally conflicted scenarios that we as humans face.
There’s another exchange between Irving and Richie when Irving tells the goodie two-shoes federal agent that the world isn’t as black and white as he thinks, but rather that it’s all grey.
Central to the narrative of American Hustle is the story of survival; hence the tag line on the poster that reads “Everyone hustles to survive.” I especially enjoyed the opening voice-overs by Irving that chronicles the character’s childhood, as these draw a number of parallels between those of Ray Liotta’s Henry Hill in Goodfellas.
Yet while the writing, directing and cinematography in this film are all top-notch, the acting is by far its biggest strength.
Bale gives one of the best performances of his career, mastering the deceptive, conniving and yet extremely conflicted components of Irving’s character. Even before production began, the Academy Award Winner put on 30-40 pounds just to play the role, which is exactly the opposite of what he did for The Machinist in 2004 when he practically became anorexic.
Amy Adams nearly steals the show as the seductive, willful femme fatale, with chemistry between her and Bale as dynamic as you could hope for. Yet just when you think it couldn’t get better, Jennifer Lawrence is phenomenal as Irving’s reclusive and somewhat mentally deranged housewife. While she is aware of her husband’s affairs, she strives first and foremost to care for their son, which she knows she can’t do on her own. Cooper and Renner also give strong performances, and we even get a cameo by a legendary Scorsese veteran midway through the film (to avoid spoilers I won’t mention the actor’s name).
If anything, the film drags on for a little bit toward the end, but that’s a trivial matter. American Hustle is one of the best movies I’ve seen this year, and it is the perfect film to see during Oscar season.
