Don't believe the hype, this is a good film

Rating: 7/10 (28 January 2014)

I enjoyed the film immensely. I'm surprised by the negative reviews listed below. But if your basing your decision to see the movie purely on them, please, don t be swayed by this negativity, for its both unfounded and wrong. This is a wonderfully entertaining movie with a terrific plot and fine performances. I especially enjoyed the complicated love triangle between the main character, con artist extraordinaire Bale, and his secret lover, and partner-in-crime Adams, and how they navigated the tricky terrain with his despised floozy wife, who used the son as a bargain chip, and which ultimately kept him tied to her, creating enormous tension and frustration between him and his true love, Adams; who wanted him all to herself, naturally. This is a accurate portrayal of millions or love triangles the world over. I thought this film did justice to these very human dilemmas.
I also enjoyed the central theme of the film which was about 'hustle' or conning and master manipulation. The way the two characters of Bale and Adams enacted these 'roles' to trick an unwitting public to part with their money for fake art or as a hefty fee for a large personal loans the debtor would never receive. That aspect of the film was truly entertaining very interesting on a psychological level, for its people like that, The Bernie Madoffs and Wall-street-wolfs of this world, who do that exact same thing. These are the sort of people we need to be watching out for! Thanks Film for the heads up!
Anyway, The main character I found endearing and very human, for his loyalty to those who really mattered in his life: son, girl friend, city-mayor mate; his thieves honor, and instinct for survival. He was a fully realized character, flesh and blood, all thanks to a spell binding performance by Bale. To begin with it annoyed me, all these overly-contrived mannerisms Bale used to get into character, all the eye glass adjusting and staring at the floor, but after thirty minutes those mannerisms took on a life of their own, and represented the man in some essential, fundamental way. Stand up performance, I'll say no more on that point.
Amy Adams was sexy and wonderful and brimming with mistrust and confused but intense emotions for her married, in a sense unattainable lover. Her love and desire for him was visceral and genuinely-felt. Jennifer Lawrence was spectacular, but has too much of a baby face I felt to play a mother. But she nailed the slightly unhinged, needy mother character. I don't really like Bradley cooper as he always plays the same person, cocky bratty rich boy, and he played this guy in this movie. But maybe that's why he was cast, as he could never really penetrate the intrigues and trickiness of the desperate duo of Bale and Adams, who were under his thump but always two steps ahead, and taking him for a ride most of the time; he was too simple-minded to understand the depth of their swindle and manipulation. Cooper conveyed this clueless, simplicity-of-mind, well. His comic relief moments I found juvenile and beside-the-point, and they took away from the rhythm and seriousness of the film. I.e., Bradley cooper, goes and knocks his boss out with the edge of a telephone, the comedian CK Clark, and screams epithets down the phone in a coke-fuelled fit of rage because he doesn't get his way, Wow that's so damn funny! NOT! The few comics scenes present contributed nothing to the film and should have been edited out, or redone. De Niro's cameo as real-deal Mob Boss was visceral and unnerving. Renner playing a warm, socially-conscious Italian-American was also a nice touch.