Good movie with a lot of flashy acting

Rating: 7/10 (15 April 2014)

Fictionalized real story of the Abscam scandal. It starts in 1978 with FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper) using con-man Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) and his partner Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) to catch corrupt politicians. Irving is unhappily married to Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence). Eventually they set their sights on Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner), the big New Jersey political operator.
Director David O. Russell has gathered his gang of actors to wow us with a lot of flash. It's a lot of big acting moments, wild characterizations, era music, and crazy get-ups. There is a fascinating story beneath it all. All the flash makes the story look superficial when it's not. However the flash makes it fun.