Slightly over-hyped, yet still one entertaining piece.

Rating: 7/10 (6 June 2016)

Knowing David O Russell's style, I knew going into this that I was going to have to deal with some over the top quirkiness in the characters and style, which I can usually tolerate in his films. On one hand, he handles his actors extremely well with top notch directing and handles his script very carefully as well. On the other hand, he lets his style slip out of his hands and spill out all over the screen in an over abundance of random bantering from characters, and depraved scenes of sexual frustration that get played off as comedic.
Christian Bale and Amy Adams are two con artists who are forced by an FBI agent (Bradley Cooper) to set up an elaborate sting operation on corrupt politicians, including the mayor of Camden, New Jersey (Jeremy Renner). Meanwhile, he has to deal with his estranged wife (Jennifer Lawrence) who constantly gets in the way of his plans. I was invested because this is the first time David O Russell has tackled crime drama. He still manages to blend black comedic undertones with the colorful, sporadic writing on the surface.
The casting and performances are probably the film's biggest strong suit. Christian Bale is hilarious and convincingly serious at the same time. Anytime he's on screen, he squeezes every last drop of investment into his character that the scene calls for, and it pays off. When he gets upset, angry, or scared, you really see it on his face. In a film like this that's really flashy, it's amazing how much emotion he displays while the audience is getting energized by the soundtrack. Amy Adams is sexy and deceitful, which we get out of every single scene she's in. Bradly Cooper is quickly becoming one of the most promising actors in this day in age. He is unpredictable in every scene he's in, but he manages to keep it straight and real at the same time. Jennifer Lawrence is unstoppable, portraying yet another emotionally distressed woman with husband problems, and no filter on her mouth. The only thing I wasn't sure about was the random Robert De Niro cameo.
One main issue I do have with the film is that the style, while entertaining, distracts from the plot. I usually encourage this behavior from Russell in previous works, but this time it left me a tad overwhelmed. It hammered itself in scenes that were completely unnecessary. The film went on a tad too long, and definitely could have trimmed some scenes that were needlessly thrown in there for stylistic purposes. The writing is solid, but the quirky character trope just throws me off at times and makes it hard to focus.
Overall, the film really energizes and excites you in each scene, making for one very entertaining film. I feel like a few people love the flashy style, which I can appreciate, even if it distracts a little. For that reason, I find it a tad over hyped, but not enough to take away any enjoyment. Russell is getting more mainstream, which is showcasing in his films. I just hope it doesn't get to his head, and I look forward to what he can do in the future.