Starring: Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, Jeremy Renner.
Director: David O.Russell
Rating: 3.5/5
American Hustle is already one of the most talked about movies of 2014, and is set to be a major player on the awards circuit over the next few weeks.
The movie marks the return of David O.Russell to the director's chair for the first time since the success of Silver Linings Playbook. The movie also sees him reunite with many familiar faces.
American Hustle tells the story of brilliant con man Irving Rosenfeld (Bale), who along with his equally cunning and seductive British partner Sydney Prosser (Adams) is forced to work for a wild FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Cooper).
DiMaso pushes them into a world of Jersey powerbrokers and mafia that's as dangerous as it is enchanting.
There is so much hype surrounding this film, not to mention I am a big fan of all of the principle actors & the director, and yet this is a film that did leave me a little underwhelmed.
The cast are fantastic; it is worth the admission fee alone to see Jennifer Lawrence singing Live and Let Die in her marigolds as she is cleaning the house.
It is another terrific performance from Christian Bale - his elaborate comb-over is very funny - as the con man who finds things spinning out of control.
He has incredible rapport with Amy Adams, while his scenes with Jennifer Lawrence are some of the best in the film.
Lawrence really is great as the unpredictable Rosalyn, and she does bring most - if not all - of the humour to this film.
Despite the fine performances from the entire cast, for me, these characters are just not compelling enough. They all have their interesting moments, but that interest is not built on or held by the script.
On top of all that, the script does feel a little out of control as there is con after con after con, and it ends up a little convoluted and muddled.
I wouldn't go as far as to say it is out of control, but it is not as sharp or funny as it thinks it is. In parts, it is actually quite dull, as bursts of energy are not sustained.
However, I will say that the film looks fantastic, as O.Russell really has captured the look of the period really well: many of the costumes are just beautiful and the cast look stunning.
American Hustle is by no means a bad movie, but it just hasn't lived up to my expectations.
American Hustle is out now.
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