There is something very charming about a David O’Russell film, there always has been despite the fact that the plot can take you in a multitude of directions. Although it can be clear where he is drawing inspiration from for any given project, Russell certainly likes to put his own stamp on things. On top of that, he also has a unique ability to make everything work, no matter how crazy it might seem.
Despite a brilliant directorial turn with Flirting with Disaster, the film which really made the world sit up and take notice was the marvellous Three Kings starring George Clooney. From here, the only way was up with the quirky, but excellent I Heart Huckabees and the all-too-true story of the Fighter, which really showed off Amy Adams’ acting chops.
However, despite the success, many were baffled by the popularity of Silver Linings Playbook, a film which told a story exceptionally well with some excellent performances, especially that overlooked turn from Cooper in favour of the undeniably brilliant Lawrence. Silver Linings could have been viewed by many as just another good rom-com, but with Russell’s edge it became so much more than that, a mentally unstable male lead, two very lonely people, an interesting family dynamic and chemistry that lifted off the screen.
Russell has managed to achieve more of the same with American Hustle.
Although Hustle can most certainly fit into the bracket of another con film, with a lot of nods to Scorsese and his ilk, Russell takes a plot that seems to sprawl all over the place and manages to tie it together quite brilliantly. Loosely based on a series of events that became known as Abscam, Hustle tells the story of Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale), a small time con artist who, along with Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams), or should we say Lady Edith Greensly, have become exceptionally successful in ripping off desperate men looking for loans.
That is until the appearance of Richie DiMaso, an FBI agent whose ambition knows no bounds. After DiMaso sets them both up, they agree to work with him on taking down some of the most important Senators and politicians in the area, a project which soon begins to spiral out of all of their control. A private jet is ordered for a fake Sheikh, the Mafia become involved, suddenly there is talk of revitalising Atlantic City. Everything is going reasonably well, that is until the involvement of Rosalyn, Rosenfeld’s wronged wife who is only too well aware of his affair but doesn’t really have many of her facts straight on anything else. While she puts the rest of the operation in jeopardy, the remainder attempt to make sure everything goes according to their various plans.
First off, the acting is exceptional here, there is literally not one bad performance and it would be easy to understand why with the cast that Russell manages to entice. Bale is brilliant, Adams is just the right amount of no-prisoners-taken and complete vulnerability, while Lawrence, of course, shines as the slightly left of centre Rosalyn. However, Cooper again proves a treat, an actor who has had some of the same career change as Matthew McConaughey, ignoring the lighter projects and moving on to something a little more meaty.
The settings and costumes are also spectacular, completely setting the scene for the 70’s and dramatically altering the actors into their actor, particularly Bale who is a little overweight here and balding, something that would be hard to convey in real life.
What will surprise you more than anything, particularly considering that American Hustle is based on true events and the obvious serious plot is that there are far more laughs than you will be expecting. The over and back between Cooper and his boss played by Louis C.K. is just brilliant, Jennifer Lawrence complete misunderstanding of the situation and life in general really brings the laughs while the complete hilarity of the plot also works well; it literally spirals away from Russell and yet completely works.
It’s not difficult to understand why it’s one of the most talked about films of the last couple of months, you need to check out American Hustle.
