David O Russell at his best

Rating: 7/10 (5 January 2014)

Ah David O'Russell, you continue to impress me.
American Hustle stars Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jeremey Renner and Jennifer Lawrence. Besides Renner, each of these actors/actresses have worked with O Russell before, and oh god does this man know who to work with.
Last year the director brought us Silver Linings playbook, a fresh burst of energy and entertainment which most audiences loved, Jennifer Lawrence even won an academy award for her role in the film. Oh and lets not forget 'The Fighter' the first David O Russell flick I saw in which American Hustle's lead Christian Bale snatched up an academy award. When I left the screening of this movie I couldn't help to think to myself 'who's next?' for the Oscar, its safe to say the performances in this film are definitely worthy.
Christian Bale, the master of method acting, is incredible as sleazy con-man Irving Rosenfeld, the films protagonist. 'He wasn't necessarily in good shape' Amy Adams states early in the film referring to Bale who gained over 40 pounds to play Irving, you may be thinking its ridiculous how Bale can transform his body for a certain role, however don't be conned into believing its more ridiculous than Irving's highly laughable comb over, which may be more out of shape than the character himself.
Irving and his seductive lover Sydney are forced into working for FBI agent Richie Dimaso, played dynamically by a curly haired Bradley Cooper, who is astounding in this film. I previously mentioned how impressive Christian Bale's performance was, but Cooper's on screen chemistry with Amy Adams was one of American Hustle's triumphs, the actors seem to bounce off each other, leading me to believe that the film benefited from the often improvised scenes. Smart, snappy and sexy, Amy Adams delivers a passionate performance as Sydney proves how versatile of an actress she is; hats off to Adams, who deserves an Oscar nomination for her role.
Jennifer Lawrence, who plays Irving's unpredictable, beautiful 'trophy' wife Rosalyn, is great here, the 'live and let die' scene was crafted spectacularly, a personal favourite out of so many enjoyable scenes, Once again Jennifer Lawrence proves that she is one of the finest, most likable actresses working in Hollywood today. Jeremy Renner, the newcomer, stars as Carmine Polito, a New Jersey politician who seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time during the latter period of the film. Renner shines and is at his very best here, and even though the film's pacing is often dragged out from time to time, and it may be a little too long, all of these characters are so interesting to watch, whether we pity them, show empathy for them or want to scream at them, they are so damn enjoyable and interesting to watch; David O Russell could not have chose a better cast.
It's not just the cast that really sells American Hustle to its audience, its how energetic and smooth David O Russell's directing is. The film is packed with a nostalgic 70's soundtrack and Scorsese influenced set pieces that go hand in hand with the rich, elaborate cinematography and often exaggerated, emphasised costume designs, David O Russell sells his audience a film that seems to come natural to him. People have already started to criticise that American Hustle is often too reminiscent of Scorsese films such as 'Casino' but the scenes are so well directed that certain nods to Scorsese become merely a gesture from O Russell to show that he has leaned from the best.
The script, originally titled 'American Bullshit' is superb, often heavily dialogue driven, as viewers we don't get bored of the quirky, peculiar conversations these characters have, in fact, we anticipate more of it. The film is completely unpredictable, who would have thought a story about ice fishing would have been so funny? And who would of thought Robert De-Niro's Miami mobster could speak Arabian? Nobody, not even the characters themselves, who are so convincing. If you get the chance, go and see American Hustle, I promise you, it isn't a con to try and take your money, however, you will be conned into realising that David O Russell as a filmmaker just keeps getting better, and better.