No Hustle. The Real Deal

Rating: 9/10 (25 December 2013)

Just got out of the theater for this one.
American Hustle is a brilliant blend of great acting, a perfect script, and copious amounts of dark humor to keep everyone thoroughly entertained during the film's two hour and twenty minute run time.
Bale absolutely nails it as a sleazy con man that we can somehow relate to and shake our heads at the whole time, and Adams has once again grown as a competent actress to match him. This duo could not have been more perfect for this story. Bradly Cooper also extends his acting range and slowly let's the audience in on the pathetic nature of his character. Cooper had several scenes that had the whole crowd rolling with laughter.
...and the there's Jennifer Lawrence. Wow. Will she ever stop topping her self in these dramatic roles? I was worried about a younger actor standing up to the other heavy weights on screen, but she steals the show in every scene she has. The "Live and Let Die" scene is bound to wind up a classic.
To speak of Hustle's convoluted (but ultimately tried and true) plot would be cheating (hustling) the audience out of the fun residing in this masterpiece. While certain scenes definitely required more developed empathy for the characters to achieve the desired effect, Hustle invests the time to keep us on edge at least, and is a film that gets better with each and every scene.
Go see it with attentive eyes and you shall not be disappointed.
9/10