Escándalo americano

The acting from all round was amazing. I find it very hard to believe that Christian bale didn't win a major award for his role I thought he was the stand out actor in this along side Jennifer Lawrence. It's crazy what Bale puts his body through for roles. The ending was perfect it ended exactly how I wanted it to.

It did not take an astronomical amount of time during my screening of American Hustle to realize I had found the best film of the 2013. American Hustle was not what I expected, but in the best way possible. Acting as almost a descendant of Goodfellas, it does not rip off the story or characters, but traces of Martin Scorsese's masterpiece can be found in the style and spirit of David O'Russell's now masterpiece. O'Russell keeps his controlled hand over the wild characters and fast-paced plot; for the crime movie it is, class seems high on the list of "musts."

The commenters of the screenplay have noted how much of a blast the screenplay is; a blast it is, but most are ignoring the intricacy of the screenplay by David O'Russell and Eric Singer. The groundwork is the twisty fraud story, which is snappy, entertaining, and full of surprises. The next layer is the character work of the five leading roles, the screenplay inflames all the characters to reveal their unique cores. The third layer details those characters each with their own object of symbolism including a comb over, a British accent, hair curlers, nail polish, and a science oven. Layer four is the screwball comedy dialogue exchanges between the characters, which drives comedic artistry out of the actors leaving the audience cheerfully laughing.

The most puzzling compliant about American Hustle many are holding against the film is a lack of deeper meaning. It confuses me because the deeper meaning is quite clear and abundantly there, Amy Adams and Christian Bale even have key moments of literally speaking it to the other characters. It's a story of identities, being unhappy with who you are and the different versions of ourselves we put on display as we encounter different people. We have numerous roles we must play in order to survive, whether it be for respect, love, self-worth, or community. We all do it.

David O'Russell's sight of his screenplay dares him to capture his film in a particular fashion. The camera acts as a silent third party in scenes of where, if the audience were a character in the movie, our eyes would be during the conversations such as focusing on hand gestures, zooming in to characters as they speak, and the length from the characters to the camera in his editing. Where our focus would be in person is where O'Russell places us in his vision where and when he wants us to see what.

The acting ensemble of American Hustle has been called the star of the show, collectively the five leading actors support each other through the two hours and fifteen minutes. Some have found it troubling to select one of the five as the most valuable player because all five do their homework and put the effort in. I anticipated the cast from the trailers and released clips, but I never found myself too terribly excited to see Christian Bale's work, yet he surprised me with how complete his characterization was of Irving Rosenfled. This is a trite way of describing an accomplished acting performance, but Bale warrants it here: I forgot I was watching Christian Bale, the actor, entirely.

Bradley Cooper has made a career by unleashing the inner-asshole in himself; in American Hustle he's the ultimate shade of that character type with an added vibrancy and an immaturity of not feeling respected. Jennifer Lawrence oozes in her supporting role filling the juvenile Rosalyn with hilarity and loneliness. Someone who saw American Hustle with me commented on how unlikeable Lawrence's character is and in lesser hands it may have been more predominant, but Lawrence charms her way through her character's flaws and makes us empathize with her entirely. Jeremy Renner delivers great work as well, but with fewer money moments and less "umph" than his co-stars.

The general consensus may have trouble finding an MVP of the cast, but it was no problem for me. Though I admired everything Bale, Cooper, Lawrence, and Renner added to American Hustle, it's an understatement to say the film belongs to Amy Adams. She's proved herself to be a great talent, but Adams delivers her most accomplished work here. In the Hollywood Reporter's Actress Roundtable earlier this winter, Adams commented how miserable she was during the filming of American Hustle because she was so consumed by her character's identity, or lack-there-of. I've never seen a performance like Adams or a character like Sydney. Adams slips in and out of Sydney's faux British accent as she keeps her cards hidden from all the other characters. We never knows who her loyalties belong to. Tears swell in Adams eyes as she pathologically tells the story of her character, without divulging enough information to be completely vulnerable. It's a sensational performance.

"The world isn't black and white as you say, it's extremely grey," a line Christian Bale imparts to Bradley Cooper, another existential message that is driven by the screenplay. O'Russell exhibits his two main characters, con artists, and asks us to like them enough to follow them for rest of the story. By the end, we have not only accepted them, but love and root for them.

At the heart of American Hustle is a love story between Irving and Sydney, an aspect that I found to be most successful. Adams is at her most gorgeous ever, Bale is balding and fifty pounds over. Their love is not formed around physical attraction, something magical happens in the first twenty minutes and we see and feel the way they fall in love. This supports the film's stance on appearances meaning nothing. With maybe the exception of Blue is the Warmest Color, try to find two 2013 film characters more in love than Irving and Sydney.

American Hustle is built as the 2013 revival of classic Scorsese gangster pictures like Goodfellas and Casino, but without the gangsters. It has the plot twists, the plethora of pop tunes, the conniving characters, the backstabbings, the high life, the low life, the disgruntled females merciless attached to crooked husbands, the stranded children, and so on. But it's new. Fresh out of the oven. Baked with wonderful performances and tight scriptwriting. And it has characters who inhabit the story and make it their own.

The movie begins in medias res, with two con men -- and one con lady -- attempting to buy out a Jersey mayor. There's a lovely opening shot of Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale, almost unrecognisable) carefully and painstakingly combing over his thinning strands of hair. This scene reminded me very much of the opening of Richard Linklater's Bernie, where a plump but serene mortician played by Jack Black joyfully lectures a scarce hall of students on the process of embalming. It's a slow scene, maybe too slow to open up a movie, but we are never bored, because we are given insight to a skill that we've never seen before, or don't know much about. It's the same with this scene. I've never seen anyone cover up bald. It's always bald being uncovered; wigs and toupees accidentally being ripped off, or blown away by strong winds. The scene also informs us that Irving is a certain kind of character.

After jumping to a series of flashbacks, in which the history between Irving and his long-time girlfriend Sydney (Amy Adams, almost unrecognisable without her makeup) is revealed to have blossomed over a shared love of Duke Ellington, the plot begins proper. Irving and Sydney -- now posing as a wealthy British banker named Edith -- have been arrested by Richie (Bradley Cooper, fully recognisable despite his hairdo), an ambitious FBI agent who thinks he has the wit and skill to take down corrupt congressmen and casino gangsters with flimsy, ill-conceived plans. He ropes Irving and Sydney into his little schemes, and soon has them taking on an entire network of illegal tradesmen.

Caught in the middle are two people: Mayor Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner), and Irving's wife Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence). Carmine is the mayor whom the trio wanted to con at the start of the movie. He becomes integral to the plot when Irving develops a friendship with him. Do I tell him that I've been conning him all along, and that my innocent little scheme might get him arrested in front of his wife and six children? Or do I stay quiet, maintain the friendship, and face my conscience alone? What he does, I will not say.

Rosalyn is an interesting character. Yes, she skirts dangerously close to the Sharon Stones and Lorraine Braccos of the old Scorsese pictures, but Jennifer Lawrence is able to lift her away from them by being more grounded. Stone always seemed to operate on her own terms in Casino. She was a third wheel, functioning outside of the overall story. Here, Rosalyn is fully aware of the situation at hand. She's right smack in the middle of the story. She doesn't love Irving. Irving doesn't love her. But they both love their son, and Rosalyn doesn't want a divorce tarnishing her solid family marital integrity. But she knows that the love festering in the household is only producing toxic fumes. Where her character goes is a place best kept hidden.

And then there's a mix of other secondary characters, including perhaps the best cameo I've seen (not because of the cameo itself, but because of the meaning of the cameo). All of them dip in and out of this intelligent story with impact. Why, even Richie's boss, Stoddard Thorsen (Louis C.K.), is a lovely guy. He provides much of the movie's humour, and there is much of it. Director David O. Russell has said that his goal with American Hustle was to focus on the characters instead of the plot. Indeed, what a good decision. It's a rare moment when not a single character seems out of place. They complement each other, whether they're kissing, punching, clawing, or scratching. And they share so much chemistry that you could select any two of them at random, chuck them into an empty room, and watch them chatter till their throats went dry.

I attended a screening of this movie in Mandurah, which is a lovely place. The cinema had maybe nine other patrons (weird, considering it was opening day). I'd been to Mandurah a few times before, and I watched The Counselor there. That was a poor movie, but the screening was smooth, which is more than I can say for the screening of this film. With about 15 minutes to go, the video jammed and stuttered slowly to a halt. It's the first time I've seen digital video jam. And it couldn't have happened at a worse time. The projectionist eventually rectified the problem, but I had already been sucked out of the moment. That's a pity, because American Hustle was shaping up to be one of the best movies of the year. You know what? Screw it. It still is.

In the late 1970s, while America was swinging to rock n roll, exposing all its flashy jewelery over plunging necklines and under unruly hairdos, a scandalous entrapment planned by the FBI threatened several political figures and rocked the nation in its most oddly alluring time. David Russell reunites his cast from his previous best movies including 'The Fighter' and 'Silver linings playbook' to tell us the story of con artists who are led by the FBI to trap bigger fish in an attempt to expose corruption at high levels. This highly fictionalized version of the Abscam sting by the FBI has some meaningful conversations, witty dialogue and glorious nonsense in its overlong narrative.

In an era of resurgent wealth and dynamic lifestyles, success is achieved with compelling ambitions amidst increasing competitiveness, only through some hustle. Right through his childhood years of conning people for his father's business, Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) used the guise of legitimate businesses such as dry cleaning to conceal his beguiling loan schemes. Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams), initially suspicious of Irving's businesses, soon becomes his partner in bed and crime. Her fake identity as Lady Edith Greensly not only attracts investors lured by her supposed British financial contacts but also by her revealing attire. Soon enough however, the con-artist duo is in the grips of FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper) who intends to entrap a New Jersey Mayor along with several Congressmen. Aided by a wire operator and a bogus Sheikh Abdullah (Michael Pena) who was to provide the funds for the redevelopment, the hustling of mayor Carmine (Jeremy Renner) begins with Richie, Sydney and Irving hustling each other in the process. If that wasn't enough, Irving's loud mouthed, cleavage flashing housewife Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence) gets them all on the edge with her erratic outbursts and ignorance of the entrapment. This sexy looking inspiration of the Abscam operation lacks a fast-paced plot and intrigue that made other conman films such as 'Catch me if you can' and 'Argo', exciting movies. Loud characters protract several insipid sequences that outlast their importance from the script. The seriousness of the entrapment plot is often overshadowed with the digressed focus on the characters and their relationships and while this dilutes the story-telling, it isn't such a bad thing when you have such a talented cast. However, one can only go so far with just acting, good looks, sexy styles and 70s tunes. David Russell fails to engage the audience with a tight script and twists in a con-artist's story that are only few and far apart. Clearly, style over substance was his approach here with entertainment left solely upon the actors' talents.

Christian Bale put on 40lbs for this movie. It isn't the first time he has transformed himself on-screen and won't be the last. This con-man draws a line on his wrong doing and hesitates on going too big with the plan. His love for Sydney grows through the movie but always comes second to his son's well being. Irving has everything likable about him, even his weirdly meticulous wig. His softer, more intelligent character is a sharp contrast to his unabashed wife. Jennifer Lawrence plays everything that is wrong and right with the film. Rosalyn can be a big mouth, whining incessantly and trying hard to prove her worthiness. But she can also be the one character whose presence just makes you nod in disbelief about what she will do next. That uncanny ability and its unpredictable deliverance is surely Lawrence's talent at work that doesn't fail to impress. Bradley Cooper is a hot-headed FBI agent whose ambition gets the better of him. There are many scenes where he clearly improvises, such as enacting Louis C.K.'s agent Thorsen and the epic moment when Sydney lays herself out on the table for him, he gets so close and simply can't handle it. The most striking aspect of Cooper's performance is that his character is so unconvincing. He is ambitious and he has the con-artists by their necks in his elaborate plan but he is still an amateur who is guided by instinct rather than experience. Jeremy Renner's Mayor Carmine shows his devotion to his city and while it took some major hustling to draw him into the plan, those interactions with Irving were quite a delight to watch. Amy Adams looks sensational and sizzles in the chemistry she builds with Irving and Richie. She portrays wit, grace and spontaneity as they adapt to changing scenarios during the sting operation and remains ever focused on the plan. Adams may not be as loud as Lawrence nor as multi-dimensional so to speak but her screen presence is equally alluring.

David Russell hasn't showcased his fine talents in a script that needed to be funnier, wittier and tighter. The actors improvise on their greyish characters and provide more entertainment than the script possibly could. That certainly isn't the film-maker's achievement but he did choose the right cast that could pull that con off on the audience. Perhaps that is the year's biggest hustle from Hollywood that bends the audience into liking material that is portrayed to be far greater than it should be accorded for. Enjoy it for the gorgeous women, the committed actors and the stylish times but do not get ensnared in the hype surrounding this hustle.

• 6.701 on a scale of 1-10.

Frankly, the movie itself does not live up to its hype. I never was fully engaged with any character even though it takes more than enough time and delivers a tedious and often painstaking pace. Honestly, it felt to me like the film dragged and that the ending would never arrive. Even though not fully engaged and not empathetic towards any character depicted, there is enough style that I somehow cared about how the story ended. Every scene seemed to me like an exercise in an acting class. It feels like a professor took a group of talented actors and gave them this over-the-top 1970's assignment. Everyone gets an "A" because they are that good but it barely felt like a coherent film to me. It's like their assignment included constant references to try and deliver a "Goodfellas" type tone without having a script to back it up. The events of the conclusion were so easy to spot that I'm sure most everyone will see it coming a mile away.

Overall, interesting but there is far less substance than I was expecting. I have to say this was a let down.