Nearly drowns in style to start with, but does develop into something more solid

Rating: 9/10 (6 February 2014)

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning
Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) is a small time crook who grew up taking a few hard knocks, who finds a kindred spirit and partner in Sydney (Amy Adams) and together they mastermind powerful and elaborate swindles in high stakes situations. But they push their luck too far and undercover agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper) busts them. To save their skin, they must help him spring a trap on seemingly wholesome Mayor Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner) who DiMaso is convinced is dirty. But as Irving and the mayor come to form a more intimate friendship, loyalties and boundaries get pushed that little bit further.
The 'American' dream always begs to be scrutinized by film makers, who start the titles of their films with the word 'American', implying their desire to scratch beneath the surface and show up the, potentially quite ugly, side to certain aspects of the culture and lifestyle. Here, director David O'Russell takes us back in time to the '70s, colourfully and stylistically bringing the fashion, music and setting back to life to have a stab at the love of the almighty dollar and the drive for material wealth. Yet it's a film that almost doesn't want to be taken quite so seriously, aiming to tell a straight forward, quirky heist tale, if only such strong writing, good acting and all round higher ambitions weren't getting in it's way.
You come to make this assessment as to start with, the film almost seems to get carried away in style, drowning in all the modern flashy, slo-mo tricks any modern day cinema goer would be familiar with, matched by a brilliant '70s soundtrack. But the writing's nowhere near as lazy, and a bit of patience would make way for an intelligent and gripping story, a slow burning narrative that develops in to something fabulous. And if the story is multi-layered and pleasantly surprising, the performances are even better. In the lead role, Bale is a revelation as a dishonest lowlife with an unquenchable spark of humanity burning beneath the surface, but the supporting cast are among the most inspiring, notably Renner as the public spirited politician people just aren't willing to accept breaks the mold in decency, and Jennifer Lawrence as Bale's neurotic ex wife who throws a big spanner in the works as the plot gets under way.
This is the sort of thing that can't be pulled off wrong, and O' Russell and his writers have ensured a tale that is solid, enthralling and revelatory. ****