“American Hustle,” which is based on the true story of the Abscam scandal, is a complex con drama taking place in the 1970’s and starring Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Amy Adams, and Jeremy Renner.
Irving Rosenfeld (Bale) and his mistress Sydney Prosser (Adams) set up a phony loan business wherein they con desperate people out of their money. It’s when FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper) shows up that things get interesting.
DiMaso arrests Prosser and says that if she and Rosenfeld would be willing to work for him, he would release her from jail.
The FBI agent is trying to target corrupt politicians taking bribes and is confident that since Rosenfeld and Prosser are so good at what they do, the three of them could be successful.
DiMaso finds himself attracted to Prosser, which creates jealousy in Rosenfeld, who is actually married to Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence) and has a child with her. This being a con movie, though, we cannot be sure what is genuine and what is not.
Jeremy Renner’s character, Mayor Carmine Polito, comes into the picture as the target of the first con that these three are trying to pull off.
Polito comes across as a very honest and generous person who cares deeply about his community. Enter a fake sheik used to help make Polito believe that the dealings at hand are legitimate.
In actuality, the sheik is a Hispanic man (dressed in Arab garb) who hardly knows any Arabic. The interactions with the sheik provide the film with some good laughs.
Abscam, as the sting operation was called, originally referred to “Arab Scam” because it involved the use of a fake sheik supposedly from Abu Dhabi.
Greed and excess are central to the story, where the characters are always trying to get ahead. This theme fits perfectly with the time period of the movie – the 1970’s – known as the ‘me’ decade.
The only character in the movie who seems to have found any measure of success and happiness is Carmine Polito, who is married with five kids. Fashion and music also play a part in the movie and do a good job recreating an era and fit well into the story.
The movie as a whole is very entertaining and filled with really strong performances. Christian Bale, who gained much weight for his role, is seen wearing sunglasses for a lot of the movie, which could have been a choice by the director to show how Rosenfeld is trying to hide his true self.
Louis C.K., who plays Bradley Cooper’s boss Stoddard Thorsen, is quite funny in his high-strung mannerisms and by-the-book behavior.
What particularly stands out is a story he tries to tell about going ice-fishing as a young child.
Both Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence are convincingly sensual in their roles, with Lawrence looking about 10 years older as a result of aging makeup.
There is even a brief appearance in the movie by a very prominent actor (no spoiler here) who plays yet another tough guy and plays it well.
David O. Russell, the director of the picture, brings the same kind of manic energy he brought to “The Fighter.”
The film keeps you off balance in the sense that you are never really sure where the picture stands tonally as it veers from comedy to drama, but that is not to its detriment. The intricate script keeps you guessing as to the motives of the protagonists.
This is a con movie that is able to successfully pull off the sell.
