SYNOPSIS: A fictional film set in the alluring world of one of the most stunning scandals to rock our nation, American Hustle tells the story of brilliant con man Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale), who along with his equally cunning and seductive British partner Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) is forced to work for a wild FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper). DiMaso pushes them into a world of Jersey powerbrokers and mafia that’s as dangerous as it is enchanting. Jeremy Renner is Carmine Polito, the passionate, volatile, New Jersey political operator caught between the con-artists and Feds. Irving’s unpredictable wife Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence) could be the one to pull the thread that brings the entire world crashing down. Like David O. Russell’s previous films, American Hustle defies genre, hinging on raw emotion, and life and death stakes.

REVIEW:  

Rosalyn Rosenfeld: Life is ridiculous. And you know that I would never say anything bad about your father in front of you, but your father is a sick son-of-a bitch. 
Danny Rosenfeld: Daddy's a sick son-of-a-bitch? 
Rosalyn Rosenfeld: Don't repeat that... but yes. 

This film is bursting with sick sons of bitches and that’s what makes it so edgy, fun, and thrilling. But in actuality, I think the movie is all about the hair. Talk about giving it a 70s look and feel, nothing accomplishes that more than the 70s dos of practically the entire cast. I mean the opening scene of the film is all about Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) getting his hair ready for the day and what a mission it is. I’ve never seen anything like it. You’ve got Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper) with his perm, Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) with either wavy or very curly locks, Mayor Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner) with his Elvis pompadour, and Rosalyn Rosenfeld (Jennifer Lawrence) with up-dos that rival Marge Simpson (just not blue though). If we have categories for make-up and costumes, I say the Academy should consider a category for best hairdos and I tell you right now that this one should win for this year, hands down. But enough about hair, the 70s look and feel is very well done including the costumes, cars, props, sets, you name it. It is time travel as you watch. It is also very 70s sexy too! Whew! I’ve seen more of Amy Adams’ cleavage in this one film than all her other films put together. The best aspects of the film, however, are the cast and the performances. The main cast is composed of young big names in cinema right now, each of which has plenty of box office pull all by themselves. Putting them together and seeing the chemistry between them is magical. I don’t think the acting could have been any better. They truly brought out the meat of the story. Some of the roles are smaller than others, but regardless, each of them is as potent as the next. It is actually hard to point out a particular performance as one that stood out because they were all good.

“The art of survival is a story that never ends.” The bulk of this story is about survival, laced with some hustle. The story itself is pretty good and keeps you tuned in. With all these characters having their own agendas, each of them pulling in a different direction, you start to wonder who is hustling who. Needless to say, the plot has got some good twists. So with a decent story, a great cast, and excellent performances, the one thing that brings it all together on the screen is quality cinematography and that’s exactly what we get. And the one thing that brings everything all together is quality directing and that’s exactly what we also get. David O. Russell has been doing some really good work such as Three Kings, The Fighter, and Silver Linings Playbook. Need I say more?

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