American Hustle, 2013.
Directed by David O. Russell.
Starring Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Jeremy Renner.
SYNOPSIS:
The true story of con-man Irving Rosenfeld’s dealings with FBI Agent Richie DiMaso in exposing corrupt politicians takes dangerous turns when ego pushes them in to places they shouldn’t be.
A brilliant cast of actors under the wing of a director coming off the back of two Best Picture Oscar nominations gave American Hustle, a film based on real life events surrounding con-man Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale), all the ingredients to be a hit. Unfortunately however, the results are bordering the nightmare of leaving a 5 year old the ingredients to Grandma’s chocolate cake.
The story centers around Irving Rosenfeld, a con-man, and his girlfriend, Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams), who capture the attention of FBI Agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper). To try and survive, as all human beings do -which the film never fails to remind us at every opportunity – Rosenfeld does a deal with the FBI to help DiMaso bring down corrupt politicians in exchange for freedom. Unfortunately for them all, DiMaso’s ego gets the better of him and events begin to go beyond Rosenfeld’s control.
A huge part of the first act of the film is devoted to flashback to how Irving and Sydney met and fell in love, and is about as thrilling as a rectal examination. The love story just fails to connect as it is too rushed, and David O. Russel’s direction falls completely flat, with odd shots of Adams and Bale prancing around in the streets holding hands as though this were a satirical rom-com. Russell believes he has a timeless love story on his hands, he does not, and so early on in the film we haven’t learnt enough about the characters to care; that said, even if we had, the choices the director makes kill the scenes energy.
These kind of scenes continue throughout the film, and whilst it has been said by many others it requires repeating, that Russell continually tries to emulate the likes of Martin Scorsese with the use of music over slowed shots of mobsters and lovers entering and exiting vehicles, which are all over-used and not well executed.
What compounds the problem is that the story just isn’t that interesting, it never feels like we should care about any of the characters as it tries to make us do so. There isn’t anything to engage with on any level. At times some of the dialogue is wonderful, but most of the time it is forced and limp, and a cautionary tale told through the prism of a fishing trip is dragged out far too long and is devoid of meaning.
Thankfully American Hustle does have a great cast, with each of the main actors, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence (Irving’s wife) and Jeremy Renner (Mayor Carmine Polito), all being able to bring a little something interesting to watch to their characters where the script tries so hard to leave them with an empty play chest. The standouts are Bale and Adams, whom are given far more to work with, and are able to find personality and emotion within their characters, with Bale being a joy to watch, with a performance littered with nuance for those paying close attention.
Whilst the performances can be enjoyed and Bale and Adams are worth watching, after viewing you’ll more than likely feel that you were hustled.
Flickering Myth Rating: Film ★ ★ / Movie ★ ★
Martin Deer
Originally published January 4, 2014. Updated April 13, 2018.
