Modern American Classic

Rating: 8/10 (15 March 2015)

'American Hustle' is quite excellent.
There is not an ounce of uneccessary dramatic fat on this smart, blackly comic script. The period detail is wonderful (the designers clearly relishing garbing Amy Adams lean frame in all manner of flattering '70s outfits), and even the most superficial and unsympathetic characters are allowed the chance to shine - be it Jenny Lawrence (cast against type as a needy, infuriating but endearing bimbo), Christian Bale (showing just how good he can be with directors who don't tolerate his self-indulgence - and providing a return to form for the former Bat-Boy), Adams, et al. Great soundtrack, too.