Dir: David O. Russell
Starring: Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence
Plot: A loose adaptation of the Abscam sting operation carried out in the 1970’s in which a couple of con-artists are paired up with an FBI agent to bring down corrupted political figures.
“The truth and nothing but the truth”: “American Hustle” was one of the movies I anticipated the most in 2013. Maybe it was about the premise or my wish to see any sort of follow-up to last year’s “Argo” (2012) that inflated my expectations for the new movie by David O. Russell. Whatever reasons may be I was happily surprised with what I saw in the screen. In a nutshell this is the best movie Martin Scorsese never made.
David O. Russell reunited with four of the stars of his previous two movies (which brought him two Academy Awards for Best Director): Christian Bale and Amy Adams from “The Fighter” (2010) and Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper from “Silver Linings Playbook” (2012) to tell a story loosely based on the Abscam operation that took place in the US during the late 70’s and early 80’s.
Irvin Rosenfeld (Bale) plays a con-artist that teams up with Sydney Prosser (Adams) to set in motion a scam: concede fictitious loans to highly desperate “customers”, while reaping a generous $ 5.000 fee for them. The chemistry between the two is noticeable in every scene they share and is perhaps one of the main highlights of the movie. No other character is able to expose Irvin’s vulnerability like Sydney.
In order to avoid getting arrested the two of them cut a deal with FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Cooper) that ties them to the sting operation that aims at bringing down Mayor Carmine Politio (Renner) and other politicians. This is to DiMaso’s way of setting the record straight for America after Watergate and Vietnam. In fact, the references to the disappointment of the characters with the environment they were confronted with made me fear that the movie would turn to an Alan J. Pakula paranoia product. Luckily it didn’t.
Last but not least, shaking things up is Rosalyn Rosenfeld (Lawrence), Irvin’s loose cannon, wild card of a wife who delivers the best supporting performance I’ve seen this year. Unlike Katniss Everdeen, Tiffany or Ree, Jennifer Lawrence appears to play herself for the first time. Based on her interviews and her speeches on each of the times she won for last year’s “Silver Linings Playbook”, Rosalyn is Lawrence if she completely eliminated her “filter”.
Like his two previous movies, “American Hustle” focuses on its characters and their interaction are the only true reminder of the plot. And what an excellent job the actors pull off: It’s hard to believe that the man who once was Patrick Bateman and Batman is now sporting a highly complex comb over and a beer belly that could make Homer Simpson jealous. Perhaps the most convincing aspect is the fact that in a way or another all the actors appear to shadow or display traits of actual 1970’s actors at the height of their fame, especially on the female side of the cast: Something in Amy Adams eyes made me think of Jane Fonda, the way Jennifer Lawrence owns every scene in which she appears reminisced of Faye Dunaway.
The actors fully commit to deliver the 70’s vibe and groove, from the clothes to the whole self-therapy and indulgence of what became known as “The Me Decade”.
A worthy highlight is the soundtrack: the cutaway to Tom Jones’s “Delilah” sing-a-long, the “Live and Let Die” sequence enriched by a “duet” between Jennifer Lawrence and Paul McCartney, America’s hit “Horse with no name” which reminded me of “Breaking Bad” and, of course, the Bee Gees-must have scene that gives the movie a true disco feel are some of the examples on how well the chosen set list works.
Keep an eye out for Robert DeNiro’s cameo. A true tribute to some of the actor’s previous excellence. You know…before “The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinke” (2000) and “Showtime” (2002). Also, allow yourself to fully appreciate the ironic cast of Louis C.K. as an FBI chief. I never thought it could work, but the fact is that it does.
Driven by plot-twists, a full 1970’s experience, a fun and entertaining plot and the redeeming features that almost deliver what can be considered a happy ending, David O. Russell once again delivers the goods and makes me want to give his early work a second chance. I strongly advise you to watch it in the big screen, because never before has the director brought us such a loud (in a good way) movie.
“Money-Shot”: Any of the music sequences has my vote. Pick yours.
Bottom-Line: 9/10.
But of course, this is just my opinion, I could be wrong…
