fun plastic world

Rating: 6/10 (23 December 2013)

In this exaggerated, over the top world the human drive is to get one over and out hustle the fellow man. The hustle is the theme of life in this 1970s New York City world. The convoluted plot was fun to follow, seeing where it meanders with tensions intensifying ultimately crescendo-ing into chaotic surprises. The chaos of the film may reflect the chaos the characters are feeling as the "hustle" ignites and explodes into danger.
A boring beginning with not the most thrilling characters ever created evolves into a more fun tricky plot. In order to preserve the mystery of the hustle we must be kept at a distance from some of the characters. We are never quite able to enter some of their heads until the very end, so throughout the movie the characters are vague and lack substance in our eyes. This distancing makes connecting with them difficult. So you ultimately don't really care too much about these characters.
American Hustle glorifies its actors and actresses. The overly exalted Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence are showcased in many scenes strutting their stuff with haughty confidence and moxy in slow motion. These are all good actors and I'd like to see them brought into more of a reality instead of put on pedestals and thrust down our throats. Overall each of the actors had their moments and at other times they were over the top.
American Hustle can be watched for a fun plot that makes you think during the viewing about the motivations of the characters and who is trying to hustle who. And afterwards the thinking continues as you digest and connect the dots to the puzzle that was just witnessed.