a pressure cooker of drama and action

Rating: 8/10 (4 January 2014)

About 2/3 of the way through I needed to take a breather from the pressure that built up in the scene of confrontation between two characters Jennifer and Amys' characters. I felt like leaving the screen room-but I didn't want to miss anything. The directer paces this film so well and builds the drama that you don't notice the length of the film. The suspense throughout events unfold perfectly that you seamlessly break through the pain barrier of tedium when you sit through a film so long and hit a euphoric stage. I love it when a lengthy film manages that for an audience- everyone in the packed audience was gripped.
Each character is measured out perfectly in this film. Even brad cooper and Jennifer Lawrence's' excesses adds dimension to their character. Amy Adams and the unusually humble character of Bale are quite complex because they go the through dilemmas during the film and see that they sort of react to the situation the best way they know how; these characters are both wrong and right in a very accessible and human way.
I was expecting the director to put these characters above the above audience and on a pedestal showing them as experienced masterminds of hustle(kind of like in now you see me or oceans 11). But there's no real convoluted heist, deception or misdirection just a clever Amy Adams making it up as she goes along.She does some really good acting despite having to wear eye wateringly booby dresses throughout the whole film.That is what is refreshing about the film,the characters appear to just make it up really well, to survive the situation they find themselves with all the "big sharks" circling them. Calling it American hustle in the sense that hustle films currently regarded is a little bit of a misnomer. But I wont grumble.
The soundtrack is a pleasant surprise and reminds you how good these songs were; I think they complement the events in the film.
Clearly the director didn't want to have to choose between gripping, suspenseful, fast paced events and a character driven film so he did both and I applaud the decision.
You have to see this film! 8/10