American Hustle

Ensemble comedy at its (almost) best. Lies, scams, cons and double dealing in 1970's New Jersey.

(Nerd observation: the opening company logos are shot as if they were produced in the 70's).

Jennifer Lawrence steals every scene she's in and I think Director David O. Russell allowed her more leeway to really go over the top whereas he seems to have held back Christian Bale whose character might have benefitted from such looser reins.

The film therefore is a study in how far actors are allowed to take their characters: some get the chance while others don't. Everyone hits the mark for the most part, but Bale's Irving Rosenfeld seems strangely left behind. He's at first the driving force behind the story but then the other characters seem allowed to take over, to the point where Irving gets kinda left behind.

We know it's his story, so when does he really come into his own? He does sort of eventually but it's too little too late.

The film, despite its vintage burlesque and irreverent attitude never really becomes subversive - it plays the story straight, clear and funny and that's all fine and good. But after a good two hours one wonders if a little anarchy might have been a welcome spice to add.

My petty criticisms aside, this is a self-assured piece of filmmaking that seems to simply enjoy the art of filmmaking with some of the coolest acting talent that the US can currently muster.

In the end it's a feel good story where the good guys win and the bad guys get busted. It might have been a Scorsese film and a brilliant one at that, with lots of guilt and loss and pain, but 'American Hustle' is what it is, a happy piece of entertaining retro fluff.

***1/2 out of *****