American Hustle: A Review

David O. Russell’s American Hustle sees him reunite with the casts of Silver Linings Playbook and The Fighter in what is the latest in his series of films focusing on character instead of plot, lending his actors plenty of emotional space to revel in.

Some critics have taken to pigeon-holing American Hustle as an also-ran to Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas. Thing is, these are two very different films that simply share a period setting as well as a focus on small-time criminals and the cops trying to entrap them.

Whereas Scorsese’s Catholic sensibilities draw him to mine cinematic gold out of America’s rotten heart – perhaps most unforgivably in that ridiculous last shot from The Departed – Russell is instead interested in the fragility of people.

Christian Bale appears on the screen in the opening moments determinedly gluing his comb over to his balding scalp, with a spare tire wrapped around his waist that would make you believe he never did a Bat-push-up. His Irving Rosenfeld runs dry-cleaners and small businesses around New Jersey, but also a neat sideline in conning desperate men who cannot get a loan. His partner in crime is his mistress Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) who affects a fake British persona of Lady Edith to convince investors to hand over their last $5,000 as a ‘fee’.

Unfortunately their latest mark proves to be a Federal Agent. Bradley Cooper’s Richie DiMaso is driven and eager to make his name in the Bureau. He is naively convinced that his black and white perception of the world is true – the memory of Watergate haunts these characters – whereas Irving sees the world as a sequence of greys. Richie pressures Irving and Lady Edith, whom he begins to carry a serious torch for, to entrap the mayor of New Jersey Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner, terrific is the charismatic community politician).

The stage is set for a love triangle between Irving, Sydney and Richie, as well as a dizzying series of grifts, with it is often unclear whether these characters genuinely feel the emotions they are expressing or are relying on some serious method acting.

Russell highlights this fascinating idea of con men and actors having improvisational skills in common and gives Bale and Adams several generous scenes to show off their talent. The first appearance of Lady Edith is a fantastic case-study of a great actor playing someone who is a bad actor. The setting also allows for not only anachronistic period detail, but the delightfully cheesy poor sense of class that these characters have. Richie’s furious demands for increasingly expensive hotel suites to impress his long line of marks as part of his operation are particularly telling.

Much of the film's promotional campaign has centered around Jennifer Lawrence. Her neurotic Rosalyn is a harpy with peroxide hair already trapped in the role of a suburban wife while still a young woman. She also happens to be the loose cannon at the heart of this scam who risks blowing the whole deal wide open.

Russell’s grand theme here is whether graft and corruption can actually serve the greater good. As Irving tries to explain to Richie, Watergate has not opened the floodgates on moral righteousness. American Hustle in that respect has a far more interesting perspective on working class crime than Goodfellas. It is also an acting masterclass, which takes the time to allow the performers to take ownership of their scenes.

American Hustle is currently in cinemas through Roadshow.

-Emmet O'Cuana