David O. Russell’s “American Hustle” is a mob movie with style. Based on a true story, the film tells the story of Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale), whose past times include forgery and loan-sharking. He meets and falls hard for another con artist named Sydney (Amy Adams). The duo is eventually caught by an FBI agent, played by Bradley Cooper, and forced to work in a sting operation to take down a New Jersey mayor, played by Jeremy Renner. All the while, Irving’s wife, played by Jennifer Lawrence, may cause the whole operation to come crashing down.
Mob movies often share a similar vibe—dark and grim. “American Hustle” is anything but that. The movie takes place in the 1970s and leans hard into the culture. The movie is bright and flashy. It borrows elements from film noir by giving a few characters their own angsty inner monologues. This offers a refreshing take on your typical crime-based movie.
But what gives this movie the most color isn’t the era-appropriate costumes or music. It’s the performances. “American Hustle” is jam-packed with A-listers giving it their all. Every one of these characters is over-the-top and frankly, a little odd. But it’s clear that this group had a blast making the movie. As per usual, Christian Bale transformed his body and mannerisms to become somebody completely new. It’s always a joy to see what Bale will offer audiences next. While it’s Bale and Adams that actually play a couple in this film, Adams and Cooper have an electric chemistry that radiates off the screen. Maybe that just goes to show that Amy Adams can have chemistry with anyone.
But the real star of “American Hustle” is Jennifer Lawrence. She’s zany and unhinged and an absolute joy to watch here. Her lip sync rendition of “Live and Let Die” packed in more drama in a few minutes than the entirety of the film, in the absolute best way possible. While “Silver Linings Playbook” may have earned Lawrence her Oscar, it absolutely should have been “American Hustle.”
While the performances are without a doubt the best part of this film, Russell’s direction gives the film a slick and quick paced. “American Hustle” is full of slick characters conning one another, so it’s only appropriate. The film’s biggest downfall is its runtime. It could have benefited by following suit of its fast-talking characters and trimmed down 30 minutes or so. Other than that, “American Hustle” is absolutely worth a watch.
