A Stylish, Character-Driven, Hugely Entertaining Film

Rating: 9/10 (19 May 2014)

Out of all the critically-acclaimed films of 2013, "American Hustle" is one of the few deserving the immense hype surrounding it. Last year David O. Russell delivered "Silver Linings Playbook," which garnered Jennifer Lawrence her first Oscar. In my opinion, "American Hustle" is even better.
As with "Silver Linings," the characters are what drives the film. Here we have the con-artists Irving (Christian Bale) and Sydney (Amy Adams), the ambitious cop Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper), the delirious wife Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence), and the good-guy politician Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner), each "hustling" to achieve their goals. The mind games between these characters is what makes "American Hustle" so compelling, and the great performances from the cast add to the spectacle. Christian Bale seems to be channeling Robert De Niro, who also delivers a great, albeit brief cameo performance, while Jennifer Lawrence provides some of the funniest scenes of the year.
Just as important as the characters is the direction. The style of the film bears many similarities to Scorsese's "Goodfellas" and even "The Wolf of Wall Street", although "American Hustle is by far the better of the year's flicks. However, David O. Russell relies even more on a superb 70's soundtrack, which features music from Electric Light Orchestra to David Bowie, matched with slow-motion sequences to set the tone for the scenes. When matched with the great costume design and cinematography, it makes for a very stylish film.
Even more so than most of the year's Oscar-nominated films, "American Hustle" seems to have experienced a backlash of angry users on IMDb knocking the film's rating down significantly. This is a shame, because "American Hustle" is far better than what users are giving it credit for. However, this is probably due to mainstream audiences being taken back by the slower pace of the film, in contrast to the energy of "The Wolf of Wall Street," which I think is absurdly overrated on the site. "American Hustle" certainly will not appeal to everyone, but for those who appreciate indie films "American Hustle" deserves a watch.