Writers: Eric Singer and David
O. Russell
Producers: Bradley Cooper, Eric
Singer, George Parra, and Matthew Budman
Editors: Alan Baumgarten, Jay
Cassidy, and Crispin Struthers
Cinematography: Linus Sandgren
Music: Danny Elfman
Starring: Christian Bale, Amy
Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Renner, and Jennifer Lawrence
Runtime: 2 hours 18 minutes
Rating: R (language, sexual
content, brief violence)
Genre: Crime, Drama
Release Date: December 20, 2013
Intro: It's Oscar season,
one of the best seasons of the year behind baseball season. It's great because
during this season, there are always movies premiering that will most likely
receive Oscar nominations, which means there is often a plethora of good movies
out to see. American Hustle is one of this year's batch, and
after it got rave reviews, I got interested. American Hustle is
a fun and enjoyable crime movie on the outside, but it's the supreme acting,
subtle but great directing, the engaging script, and the interesting
incorporation of the soundtrack on the inside that elevate the movie to an
Oscar-worthy level.
Plot: Conman Irving
Rosenfeld (Bale) and his British partner-in-crime and mistress Sydney Prosser
(Adams) are forced to work with an FBI Agent (Cooper) to pull off a sting
operation by using good guy New Jersey politician Carmine Polito (Renner). It's
based off the Abscam scandal in the 70s.
Things People May Find
Objectionable: There's a lot of swearing in the form of f-bombs and a LOT
of cleavage shots, especially with Amy Adams, which they push quite a bit. I'll
let you decide whether this is a good or a bad thing. I'm just letting you know
it's there. Also, there's really only one violent scene, and it it's over
quickly and isn't that gory.
What was Good:
-Acting: This is
perhaps the best part of the movie and what makes it work so well. It features
fantastic performances from whole cast, as everybody disappears into their
roles. Often times, subtlety makes the performance, especially for Amy Adams,
as she excels in her role, but does it less obviously than some of her cast
members. Christian Bale gives the best performance in my opinion. He is
absolutely dead-on with his role, as he portrays his character perfectly.
Jeremy Renner, Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence are also great. I really
can't talk enough about the acting here. It was superb. Without a doubt in my
mind, at least one of the cast members is going to win an Oscar for their role
in this movie.
-Directing/Cinematography: Fantastic.
It's not as grandiose, obvious, or flashy as some other directing, but it's
very subtle and does a great job of showing the emotions and tension behind the
characters. Showing the feelings of the characters and highlighting the acting
is where it succeeds the most, in my opinion. It makes me want to see more of
David O. Russell's movies.
-Music/Score: Mostly
70s music was used for the soundtrack, and it really fit the movie
well. They use some great stuff including Steely Dan, Elton John, Chicago,
and Paul McCartney. Not only did the music give a sense of the era, but
the soundtrack was incorporated into the action. The best instance of this is
during a tense scene where the fates of the characters are uncertain.
"Live and Let Die" plays and the action on screen is edited based off
the lyrics and rhythm of the song. It's really cool to see a soundtrack
incorporated so well into a movie, and it perfectly elevates the tension.
Christian Bale's character was based off real life conman Mel Weinberg who worked with the FBI |
-Script: The
script was good. I thought it was very well-written. The dialogue definitely
keeps the movie going. The voiceovers were really interesting, as they shift to
different characters at points. It's kind of reminiscent of the same technique
used in Goodfellas, where Henry's wife is characterized through her
voiceover, as it tells how she felt about Henry and why she was attracted to
him. I think this is a great way to establish characters and their
relationships with one another.
-Humor: The
movie is very funny at times. There are some good comedic moments. You will
laugh. Jennifer Lawrence and Christian Bale are especially funny, as they both
absolutely nail their slightly insane characters. The movie almost floats into
the comedy genre, though I'd hesitate to call it a conventional one.
-Characters/Emotional
Involvement: Pretty good. While you may not feel emotionally connected
to every character in every situation, you do end up caring for them at the
end. The characters are definitely not flat either. For most of the movie, the
main characters are fleshed out and you understand their motives and positions,
and sometimes you understand just how stuck the characters are in their
situation and sympathize with them because of it.
Worth Noting:
-Story: The story gets a little confusing at times and you can get a little lost, but in the end it all makes sense. Just go along with it, and you'll be able to understand everything at the end, even if it isn't immediately clear. Otherwise, the story is good and definitely interesting. It keeps you hooked, that's for sure. To be honest, I hadn't heard of Abscam before watching the movie, but now I understand how interesting the source material is. I'm glad somebody made a movie based off that story.
-Story: The story gets a little confusing at times and you can get a little lost, but in the end it all makes sense. Just go along with it, and you'll be able to understand everything at the end, even if it isn't immediately clear. Otherwise, the story is good and definitely interesting. It keeps you hooked, that's for sure. To be honest, I hadn't heard of Abscam before watching the movie, but now I understand how interesting the source material is. I'm glad somebody made a movie based off that story.
-Intelligence: This
is definitely a smart movie that requires you to think somewhat. Morality here
is ambiguous and left up to interpretation. The movie also sticks with you, to
be sure. It's not one you can go see and then forget about a couple hours
later.
The Verdict: American Hustle is
one of those movies that is as entertaining as it is well-made. The acting is
phenomenal, the directing is subtle, but fantastic, and the script is
entertaining and well-written. I would imagine the movie will be up for
numerous Oscars this year, and I'm pretty sure it will win at least a couple.
I'd highly recommend seeing this one. You get two for the price of one: an
entertaining movie and a well-made piece of cinema. If you want a quality movie
to see this Oscar season, I highly suggest checking out American Hustle.
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