American Hustle (2013)

I knew nothing about this film when we sat down in the cinema tonight to see it, so I had no expectations. But from the opening moments I found myself completely engaged by the acting, and interested in the characters straight away.

Christian Bale has not done much for me in recent years, but he was captivating in this, and in every single scene. His physical transformation into a slightly overweight conman with a bad comb-over was enhanced by his believable character portrayal, and I have renewed respect for him now as an actor that can be damn interesting to watch.

Bradley Cooper was brilliant, as was Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Jennifer Lawrence, and Louis C.K.. There wasn't a single person that didn't pull their weight, and it makes the film's more-than-2-hour-length fly by.

There's not much in the way of physical action...in fact, I can't think of anything any action at all really...but the drama of the film is so well handled that action simply isn't necessary. Even the comedic moments were handled superbly.

I'd love to criticise something, cos no film is perfect, but this is a tough one to find fault with...maybe I would have left out Lawrence's dance scene when she mimed to Live and Let Die, cos it felt slightly at odds with the rest of the film in my opinion, but that's being seriously harsh.

So, to sum up, if you want a movie with top acting, big stars, brilliant dialogue, no over-the-top action and a well thought out story (with some historical truth mixed in), then this one is for you.

Trust me, you won't be sorry!

Fmovies: 'American Hustle'. A amazingly entertaining and engaging experience. A successful (in my opinion) juxtaposition of art and entertainment. A wonderfully acted and directed film.

Full disclosure: I loved both 'The Fighter' and 'Silver Linings Play', plus the cast are some of my favourite actors working in motion pictures today. So, I went in with a bias and a high level of anticipation for this film. This can sometimes work against you as a viewer as your expectations are too higher and you are disappointed with the results.

I can say that I was not disappointed and absolutely loved the film. People take different experiences and sensibilities with them when they see movies, and mine led me to be engaged and empathetic towards the characters. Their story interested me and I came out of the cinema thoroughly enjoying myself.

My only criticism is that it felt it lacked a little something with story. After seeing the film I did read that a lot of the film was improvised and Christian Bale commented to David O'Russell that this would change the story. His response was that he cared about the characters more than the story (paraphrasing). On reflection this is evident as the characters and acting are first class.

I by no means acclaim this to be a perfect movie or the best movie ever made, but it worked for me. I loved it!

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 d

American Hustle fmovies. This movie, while containing decent acting performances for the most part, was difficult and just not very enjoyable to watch. It felt as though it was in love with itself and its whole depiction of 70s east coast disco Guido "culture" when in fact it was just an empty, pointless piece of bombast not half as clever as it thought it was. It felt fake, contrived and half-baked from the first scene to the last, and as others have noted you just didn't care one bit about anyone on screen.

The performances were decent except for the lead FBI guy (sorry but neither his screen nor real name is worth looking up) who tended to overact. But ultimately the poor plotting & pacing and the cliché ridden visuals made this one I wish I would have missed; if there was ever a movie that proves how useless so-called professional critics are, this is it.

First of all David O. Russell is one of my favorite directors. I've enjoyed his films and absolutely loved "The Fighter" and "Flirting with Disaster". This film also boasts an incredibly talented cast including Christian Vale, Jeremy Renner and Amy Adams.

The problem is with the story, the film's pacing and length. Of course if I was enjoying the film the length would not be an issue. The film did not hold my interest and I was bored for most of it. I read that most of it is improvised, and I think this lead to it feeling very fragmented and disjointed. My mind drifted often and I checked my watch many, many times. What should have been a compelling, interesting movie was turned into a bore fest with several funny moments.

I am surprised at the overall extremely positive reviews and will watch it again when it is on cable but expect my reaction to be the same.

The performances are the safeguard for this movie to have a very long life. I couldn't care less about the characters but I loved the actors playing them. They, the characters, make choices that are as coarse as their wardrobe. Thank God for the people wearing them .Christian Bale is absolute perfection. His character is disgusting and irresistible at the same time. brilliant performance. Amy Adams is superb and Bradley Cooper an unnerving hoot - also the brief moment with Robert de Niro is simply delicious but it is Jennifer Lawrence who made me want to see the movie again as if to confirm what I seem to remember. Yes indeed. She is spectacular. A performance of such maturity - her laughter alone belongs to one of the great ones of yesteryear. - Totally present. A character actress/star.