Good, but the critics have definitely made it out to be much better than it actually is

Rating: 6/10 (15 June 2014)

'If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is'. That is how the old saying goes when describing most cons. Act 1 sees Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) and Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) setting up a bogus money lending scheme in which they offer 2 lend unsuspecting people up to $50,000 as long as they put down a $5,000 deposit. Of course, the 'marks' never receive the money that they're promised. They basically exploit people's gullibility and people's greed to make themselves a tidy fortune. However, things come to a head when Irving and Sydney are set up by FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper) who poses as a potential client. He arrests Sydney, but says that he will let her go free if both herself and Irving assist him in setting up 4 'marks'. Irving and Sydney now find themselves working for Richie in order to avoid Richie taking further action.
I've noticed a few people have criticised American Hustle due to the fact that it has so many unlikeable characters. Whilst I wouldn't go as far as saying that any of the main characters are necessarily likable, there are many characters that it is easy to 'sympathise with' rather than 'like'. The main character I connected with was the character of Rosalyn (portrayed by Jennifer Lawrence). I'll admit that initially her character comes across as being a bit of a bitch, but it soon becomes clear that all she wants is to be loved - this explains why she takes off with the first man that shows any interest in her. She isn't used to affection as she had been living in a loveless marriage with Irving so it's only natural that she'll lap it up. OK, she does use their son to manipulate Irving and to try to control him, but again I think this is merely because she desperately wants him to stay with her. Bale's character was a little more complex - he has to try and balance his 'hustling' and his need to be a good dad to Danny. Although Irving is fairly cold towards Rosalyn, he absolutely adores his son Danny and will clearly do anything for him. It was nice to see that Irving went straight in the end as I always felt that he was a good person deep down. By contrast, I found Amy Adams character (Sydney Prosser) to be much less interesting and I also felt her acting was a bit weak. Bradley Cooper was good in his respective role as over confident and volatile FBI agent Richie DiMaso - he shows his instability by beating up his superior officer - although quite how he avoided being suspended, sacked or at the very least interviewed after this altercation is a bit of a mystery.
From a technical point of view, the film is well directed and the era has also been captured very well. The film is generally well acted (with the exception of Amy Adams). The film is a bit long and does lag at times, but never to a point where it becomes boring.
FINAL THOUGHTS; Good film that is well directed coupled with good acting. Over-hyping by the critics is ultimately the film's undoing. It doesn't particularly bring anything new to the table, but it is, for the most part, an enjoyable and engaging film.