Confusing Story and Great Performances

Rating: 8/10 (12 November 2016)

American Hustle follows two con men who are caught by an FBI agent who decides to use them to catch corrupt politicians.
The movie features an all-star cast, and most every one of them is worth mentioning. Bradley Cooper is fine, probably the worst performance of the bunch. Not to say he's bad, but he doesn't stand out. Same with Amy Adams, I can't tell if it's her acting style or what, but she was just fine in this movie. She brought more to the table than Cooper, but not much more. Jeremy Renner is good, but in my opinion the two best are Jennifer Lawrence and Christian Bale. Lawrence is fun to watch on-screen, as is her character. She had a level of depth to her especially that I just really enjoyed watching. Christian Bale, on the other hand, is magnificent. He's the most convincing and intriguing character of them all, and he pulls it off beautifully.
The movie looks beautiful as well. The colors, the clothing, the settings, everything looks great. I don't know how accurate it is, but I don't really care. It looked great.
One of my only gripes, however, is the story. It's not that it's bad, but it's one of those movies that you have to pay extra attention to to understand. I didn't actually understand what the characters were trying to accomplish until they'd accomplished it, at which point it made sense but it also took a while. Would I have caught on if I'd paid more attention? Probably. Which is why I'll definitely be seeing this one again. Chances are I went in with the wrong expectations.
Overall American Hustle is a good movie. The characters are interesting and well-played, the actors range from good to amazing, and the movie as a whole looks great. If your going to watch it, go into it knowing you'll have to pay a lot of attention. In the end I'd recommend this movie.