American Hustle (2013) Review

AMERICAN HUSTLE (2013)
Director: David O. Russell

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.

     -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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