American Hustle (2013) [Blu-ray]
Crime | Drama

The true story of the FBI's 1980 under-cover sting operation of Congress, dubbed Abscam, to root out corruption which was the brainchild of the world's greatest con man.

Storyline: A fictional film set in the alluring world of one of the most stunning scandals to rock our nation, American Hustle tells the story of brilliant con man Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale), who along with his equally cunning and seductive British partner Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) is forced to work for a wild FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper). DiMaso pushes them into a world of Jersey powerbrokers and mafia that's as dangerous as it is enchanting. Jeremy Renner is Carmine Polito, the passionate, volatile, New Jersey political operator caught between the con-artists and Feds. Irving's unpredictable wife Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence) could be the one to pull the thread that brings the entire world crashing down. Written by Sony Pictures Entertainment

Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Martin Liebman on March 8, 2014 -- There's an old adage that says "honesty is the best policy." Never has that been proven more true than in the story within American Hustle, Director David O. Russell's (Silver Linings Playbook, Three Kings) Oscar-nominated film that centers on con artists forced to pull off their biggest job yet when they're approached by the feds and given an ultimatum: reel in the bigger fish or reel off a few years behind bars. Cons, corruption, wild swings in emotion, love, lust, greed, spite, naiveté, and almost all variety of human emotions and dire consequences give the story shape and purpose. Yet for all of the interpersonal chaos and all of those broad narrative pieces, the film is just as much an intimate character examination that exposes man's drive on both sides of the law and the murky middle ground that's so often the real point of contention between the sides experiencing the pulling force that exposes both to the other's direction. Through it all is an oftentimes humorous rhythm and an only slightly bloated advancement through one of the year's most visually appealing, dramatically satisfying, and all-around fun films.

Pudgy, bald, and supremely self-confident lifelong con artist Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) finds himself working with a woman who's every bit his match, a smart and passionate fellow Duke Ellington fan named Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) who, for the purposes of their cons, poses an an English well-to-do named Edith Greensly. The two also become deeply romantically involved, despite Irving's rocky marriage to the hotheaded Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence). One day, Irving's and Sydney's con target turns out to be an FBI agent named Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper) who forces them into a high-stakes con game in hopes of reeling in some of the nation's most corrupt politicians. Their main target is Camden, New Jersey Mayor Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner). As the trio falls deeper into the muck and the con becomes evermore elaborate, expensive, and dangerous than they ever could have imagined, the stakes explode and the only thing more dangerous than the situation might be their volatile interpersonal relationships.

American Hustle expertly blends its superficial visuals and its core story themes. The film's harmony is perhaps its key focal point. The picture paints a believable and oftentimes lightly comical portrait of its era -- the styles, the places, the things -- but it smartly never emphasizes them, instead focusing on building everything else in them and around them, namely the characters that give shape and meaning and entertainment value to that world. Within that world, the picture traverses a fascinating juxtaposition, one that explores the con man's servitude, forced to operate on his own turf but not under his own rules. The result is both as expected and not at all as expected as the story blossoms out of control for all involved, as the characters maneuver through a rocky, dangerous path lined with humorous subtexts, interpersonal chaos, and mass inward and outward confusion and conflict, all while several people struggle to find their place in the world through material gain and romance, neither of which ultimately fall under their own control. The film is beautifully chaotic but at the same time steady and focused, a masterstroke of filmmaking that, even as it occasionally feels a bit bloated and self-indulgent after its brilliant opening act, maintains a rhythm, appeal, and novelty that sets it apart from most anything else out there.

Digging much deeper than that harmony between the pinpoint period recreations, character follies, and story high jinks is a somewhat darker and more mentally intensive tale about ambition and drive both inside the law and outside of it and the resultant conflicting nature of man as he's wooed by materialism and passion and between right and wrong. The film explores how man manipulates life, how life manipulates desires, and how those desires come back around to the man for either good or for evil. It's a story about small-time bad dealings that spiral terribly out of control, in parallel with the characters whose own small-time operations, ambitions, ill-mannered cons, and well-meaning law enforcement all become a jumbled mess of inward and outward human chaos that doesn't merely shuffle the playing field but rather makes it nearly unrecognizable by the time the film ends. Through it all, the film thoughtfully explores a number of deeper themes that are affected by positive and negative transformations, realization, and emotions. The film's beauty comes in how easy it is to explore and appreciate these themes but also get caught up in its more glamorous story and visual superficialities. American Hustle serves as an example of the effectiveness of layered filmmaking that can be both deeply insightful and superficially fun.

At the center of it all, though, is a superb character roster and performances up to the challenge of not just bringing that roster to life, but inhabiting them. The film's unquestioned highlight is Christian Bale in his most impressive physical transformation and performance since The Machinist. While not quite on par with his haunting effort in that film, the Dark Knight star is barely recognizable fifty pounds heavier and sporting a bad combover on top of a cheap toupee. The confidence with which he carries the character and the charisma he displays in every scene is greater than that even of Bruce Wayne. It's a stunning effort on every level, a marvel of a physical effort that should in no way mask the work beyond the surface. Though Bale didn't win the Best Actor Oscar, his work is certainly of a high enough caliber that a win wouldn't have come as a surprise. Bale's co-stars are brilliant, too. The film is packed with top-flight efforts from Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, and Jeremy Renner in the film's other key roles.

American Hustle wasn't the year's best picture, not at the Oscars and not on paper. It may be the year's most complete picture, however, a joyful yet serious film with complex characters and deep themes built into a buoyant period exterior. One may enjoy the film as a well constructed and endlessly entertaining superficial time killer or as a more thoughtful character study. Either way -- or both ways -- it's an unforgettable experience and one of the year's must-see movies. Sony's Blu-ray release of American Hustle features brilliant video and audio. Supplements are limited in number but satisfying in quality. Highly recommended.

[CSW] -3.4- The acting on everyone's part is fantastic or this movie would have been a flop! I know they wanted to make the personal nuances of the major characters known to the audience but this caused the film to drag out a lot longer than was needed. While I will admit that those personal nuances were entertaining, they needed to trim a least 45 minutes off this film. As my grandmother used to say a little more steer and a little less bull would have gotten a higher rating from me. That being said, it's still a good film with good performances. You do definitely feel the length though. In the end, I'd describe this as a silly, fun, and funny film with great acting and good dialogue. Nothing more, nothing less. It's a pretty slight film that doesn't really have much to say and will likely be forgettable in the long run.
[V5.0-4.5A] MPEG-4 AVC - No D-Box.


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