It coulda been a contendah!

Rating: 7/10 (12 March 2014)

It's a very good film about ABSCAM, but the real scam is why he tries to tack on a love triangle to it. David O. Russell seems to want his film to be everything to everyone. This could be a great drama given the inherent drama of ABSCAM. I would have liked a more straight ahead drama because ABSCAM is a fascinating case whose innovative law enforcement work and colorful villains would make a great movie in and of themselves.
There is some great acting in this film. Jeremy Renner conveys a lot of heart as the mayor of Camden. Robert DeNiro absolutely steals his scene as a mob boss' right-hand man. It's the best role he's had for some time. Christian Bale is so versatile and is able to completely inhabit the characters he plays. He is one of the best actors working these days. Jennifer Lawrence is great - very brave and passionate. Shea Whigham is very good in a small role business associate of Bale's character. Elizabeth Rohm is great as Renner's wife. Amy Adams is fair but she doesn't command attention in the way that Lawrence does. I don't think Bradley Cooper showed a lot of range in Silver Linings Playbook or in this. When he tries to convey anger, he just sounds desperate.
The film is well written and the final twist is great, but this seems like it should have been divided into two movies. The tone of the film is so uneven that I can't give it a higher rating. The plot has a lovely twist at the end, but for me, the love triangle plot line was a big distraction. Some of the awkwardness among the characters is even played for laughs which also seems to detract from the possibility of showcasing how ABSCAM was investigated.
David O. Russell is a fantastic director. I have enjoyed all of his films, but to me, his earlier films - most especially Flirting with Disaster and Three Kings showed his great ability to establish a consistent tone throughout complicated movies better than his last two. He needs to simplify a bit.