Best of 2013

Rating: 10/10 (30 December 2013)

According to the trivia section of the IMDb Page for "American Hustle," it states that director David O. Russell said to Christian Bale, "I hate plots. I am all about characters, that's it." Whether this is a true fact or not is debatable. In viewing this movie, however, this trivia statement seems thoroughly factual to Mr. Russell's intent with his new feature. There are five characters present and each of them have one common trait...they lie.
With the backdrop of the 1970s, two con artists, Irving Rosenfeld (Bale) and Sydney Posser (Amy Adams) work with an FBI agent (Bradley Cooper) to take down a corrupted politician (Jeremy Renner). The sting could all fall apart from Irving's unpredictable wife Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence). The plot is simple enough. Any half-decent writer could come up with this idea. But what sells its excellence is the characters. These individuals are not necessary persons you would want to meet or perhaps even feel sympathy for. Yet, they are so sophisticated and intriguing to watch on the big screen as they lie, seduce, and back-stab one another. In a way, it is the ultimate soap opera feature.
The ensemble cast is nothing short from what I expect from a David O. Russell film. He molds them to deliver the best of their ability and then some. Bale once again physically and mentally transforms himself as Irving Rosenfeld. Sleazy, crooked, yet compassionate and nice--all that is needed in humanizing a con man, and Bale does so with finesse. Amy Adams as his partner is equally brilliant. She portrays her character with seductive ingenuity, and cunning wittiness--a real manipulator and con artist. She is truly an underrated actress who desperately needs accolade recognition.
In comparison, Cooper and Lawrence play their roles with more fun than seriousness. Cooper is determined and over the top as the ambitious FBI agent Richie DiMaso. He practically lights up the screen with his wild energy and off-handed sense of humor. Jennifer Lawrence is a real screen stealer in her small part. It is more than apparent that she watched "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" via her thick Jersey accent and snobby attitude. Yet she pulls in elements of a woman who is a force of nature like in the old 1930s screwball comedies. I see a bit of Katherine Hepburn from "Bringing Up Baby" in her depiction Rosalyn. She could very well earn a second consecutive Oscar and I will not complain. Jeremy Renner is unfortunately dwarfed by his acting counterparts. He still makes a good character as the politician who is on a path of building greatness to his city.
The bigger budget to this film has improved the visual style of David O Russell's new film. Hand-held camera work is replaced with smooth steadi-cam and dolly shots, creating a believable period piece of the 1970s. The sets, props, costumes, hairstyles, even choice of music redevelops this lost era of fun and disco. Some of the techniques of editing and voice-over narrative are a bit of a knockoff from a Scorsese film. For instance, a freeze frame is used on a character as another character explains who the significance of this person to the audience. This really isn't terrible, but it feels too much like "Goodfellas" when this movie is supposed to be a David O. Russell creation.
Aside from this minor critique, "American Hustle" is a great character-driven film with little action and phenomenal dialog. I will go so far as to call this the best movie I have seen this year.
My rating: 10/10