A love triangle examining the lies we tell others and ourselves

Rating: 7/10 (9 January 2014)

American Hustle opens with the sight of Christian Bale as we've never seen him before: It's Batman with a beer belly and a bad comb-over, one which we see him meticulously craft – strand by strand -- in front of a mirror. It's a metaphor for -- and a foreshadowing of -- the elaborate deceptions we're about to witness.
As the opening disclaimer exuberantly states: "Some of this actually happened." Director David O. Russell's seriocomedy is loosely based on the Abscam scandal/sting operation of the late 1970s. Bale and Amy Adams play a pair of con artists who are nabbed by an ambitious – and often unscrupulous -- FBI agent, played by Bradley Cooper. Cooper's character promises to let them walk in exchange for their help in taking down other corrupt characters. But as we soon see, nearly everyone in this movie is scamming someone else.
All the major characters are pretending to be something that they are not in order to manipulate others and get what they want. The main theme is the struggle of these characters to maintain their facades while suppressing their true selves. They may be able to fool others, but can only fool themselves for so long.
The film is, at its core, a love triangle involving the characters played by Bale, Cooper and Adams. It examines how true love can give someone the courage and desire to be truly honest with another person. The leading trio gives impressive and dynamic performances, disappearing into their roles. All three leading cast members have previously appeared in one of Russell's films, as have supporting players Jennifer Lawrence (who maximizes her limited screen time, stealing ever scene she's in) and Shea Whigham. Russell (Three Kings, Silver Linings Playbook) reuses so many actors; he seems to be in the process of starting his own repertory company. Comedian Louis C.K. also adds to his burgeoning film resume with his second terrific supporting role of 2013 (his part in Blue Jasmine being the other). The weak link is Jeremy Renner, who is badly miscast as a New Jersey Mayor.
The movie captures the period perfectly, from the fashions and hairdos -- right down to the tin lids on jars of Skippy peanut butter. Russell propels the action with a superlative musical score of wall-to-wall (mostly)'70s hits. He even uses the old school Columbia Pictures logo from that era.
With American Hustle's Me Decade time period, its criminal underworld setting, heavy use of voice-over narration, numerous wide-angle tracking shots, freeze-frames and aforementioned generous use of pop hits on the soundtrack, it would be understandable if someone mistakenly believed that The Wolf of Wall Street wasn't the only movie Martin Scorsese directed this past year. I'll simply assume that this movie is Russell homage to Scorsese. (He even includes one of Scorsese's frequent collaborators in a surprise cameo.) The movie's primary flaw is the fact it's a little lacking in the pathos department. Because nearly every character in the movie lies, deceives or manipulates in some way, it's hard to root for anyone. So, the resolution, when it arrives, is rather joyless.