The premise of American Hustle does not stand out: two con artists, Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) and Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) are forced to work with Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper), a power-hungry FBI agent, in order to clear their names. However, this is a gangster movie unlike anything Frances Ford Coppola would have made. American Hustle’s director’s David O. Russell’s last directing effort was the offbeat comedy Silver Linings Playbook. Accordingly, this movie also features funny tangents, loveable flawed characters (Bale’s character is sensitive about his hairpiece) and a plot that seems to be no more than a backdrop for the main characters’ complex interactions.
The result is a movie that hits on a full range of emotions. It’s billed as a “comedy-drama” film, and it delivers. American Hustle is both hilarious and nail-bitingly tense, introspective and escapist. Excellent performances by Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, and Bradley Cooper bring the brilliant script to life.
