Some excellent performances

Rating: 8/10 (3 January 2014)

Irving (Christian Bale) is a small-time 1970s hustler, cheating people out of "fixer" fees for arranging loans which never materialise. He meets Sydney (Amy Adams) whose sights are higher, but they fall foul of ambitious FBI agent Richie who, having caught them dead to rights, blackmails them into going after bigger prey. Before long they find themselves in deep waters, way out of their depth.
Based on true events, this is a crime drama - relatively light in tone, albeit with a genuine sense of jeopardy in places. Though complex, it is easy enough to follow, and boasts some terrific performances. Amy Adams, whose every ensemble advertises the absence of a bra, is quite excellent (and far, far sexier than she usually is) although, for me, Jennifer Lawrence's performance has the edge. As Irving's wife, she bears his infidelity unhappily, and believes herself to be brainier than she actually is. It is not a big part, nor an essential one, but it is funny, and it carries a solid emotional truth at its heart. Then there is Robert De Niro in a small and uncredited cameo as a mafia enforcer, who gives what is probably his best performance for 15 years: the reptilian evil he exudes is almost tangible.
There are criticisms: it is, perhaps, overlong, and the most sympathetic character, Mayor Polito (Jeremy Renner) is the one who suffers a punishment which he doesn't really deserve, while the other characters, all morally compromised (at best) don't get a comeuppance of equivalent unfairness.
But this remains an entertaining and intriguing ensemble piece, with enough bad language to sink a ship, an intriguing ongoing drama, and Amy Adam's ever-present cleavage.