This is a film directed by David O. Russell, which combines elements of comedy, drama and crime, and is inspired by real events in the 1970s.
The story centers on a pair of con men, Irving Rosenfeld (played by Christian Bale) and Sydney Prosser (played by Amy Adams), who become embroiled in a complex scheme of corruption and deceit involving the FBI and corrupt politicians.
The film begins with Irving, a two-bit con man who engages in document forgery and financial fraud. Together with Sydney, his lover and accomplice, they have built an empire of deceit that allows them to live in luxury.
However, their life takes an unexpected turn when they are caught by FBI agent Richie DiMasso (played by Bradley Cooper), who offers them a deal: collaborate with him in an undercover operation to catch other crooks and corrupt politicians in exchange for their freedom.
As Irving and Sydney become involved in the operation, they are forced to work with a group of eccentric characters, including Carmine Polito (played by Jeremy Renner), a New Jersey politician looking to revitalize his city, and Irving's wife, Rosalyn (played by Jennifer Lawrence), who becomes a disruptive element in the plot. The dynamic between these characters is complex and marked by betrayal, love and ambition.
The film is set in an atmosphere of glamour and decadence, with an aesthetic that evokes the fashion and culture of the 1970s.
As the plot progresses, loyalties are tested and relationships become complicated. Irving is caught between his love for Sydney and his commitment to his family, while Richie struggles to maintain control of the operation and his own morality.
The climax of the film unfolds in a series of tense and thrilling events that culminate in a shocking revelation.
Now this is definitely more than just a treat to watch, but an appropriately soothing balm of a dark comedy movie to help me alleviate the pain I just saw at Twelve Years a Slave. I know this movie review was long as hell, but I cannot love and recommend this movie enough and at least this review is spoiler-free. Until then, enjoy the review and I would like to hear your opinions on this film as well.
I had planned to talk about another movie, but I was changing channels on TV and suddenly found that they were broadcasting American Hustle, I had only seen it once since it was released in 2013, and I did not remember many things, so I decided to see it again, and so talk a little about it today.
Year: 2013
Category: Black Comedy, Crime.
Director: David O. Russell.
Cast: Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Jeremy Renner, Louis C.K., Jack Huston, Michael Peña, Elisabeth Röhm, Shea Whigham, Robert De Niro, Alessandro Nivola, Paul Herman, Saïd Taghmaoui, Adrian Martinez, Colleen Camp, Dawn Olivieri, Erica McDermott, Zachariah Supka.
Plot
Irving Rosenfeld, a brilliant swindler, who along with his seductive partner, Sydney Prosser, is forced to work for an FBI agent, Richie DiMaso, which involves them in the world of politics and the New Jersey mafia by relating them to Carmine Polito, a passionate and volatile politician caught between fraudsters and federal agents, but the operation will be compromised due to the intervention of Irving's wife, Rosalyn.
Opinion
The film starts in the middle, but then dedicates the first 30 minutes to show how the characters reached the situation in which they find themselves. Irving Rosenfeld owned a chain of dry cleaners, married with Rosalyn, which has a son Irving has decided to adopt as his own. However, Irving really is a low level swindler, who thanks to the help of Sydney, a beautiful woman who becomes his criminal partner and his lover, begins to increase the volume of his scams.
Everything works perfectly for Irving until one day he is discovered by a government agency, who extorts it with the aim of infiltrating the city's politicians to try to bribe them, however, the operation is in danger when almost immediately Irving's wife, Rosalyn, gets involved, and in addition, a romance arises between Sydney and the agent who directs the operation.
The film tries to develop so many subplots that it is difficult to understand how the director enjoys so much control. Curiously in the middle of everything, the most important character, Irving Rosenfeld, becomes a secondary at times. Instead, the director focuses on the female counterpart in the hands of Sydney, and so decides to exploit the character and show the dramatic structure of the film.
The film proposes a turn in the search for the American dream, narrated on this occasion from different points of view, but always from the same motivator: ambition. Each of the characters tries to shape their own future, showing us a young dancer fleeing from her past, a single mother who looks for something more for her life, a prosecutor and an FBI agent who try to grow professionally without thinking about the consequences of their actions, and of course, the main protagonist, who is enriched by swindling other people. So the ambitions and aspirations end up coming together in a game of blackmail and bribery, in which the influence traffic and easy money make their appearance while revealing the putrefaction of the political class.
As for the performances, we can find a formidable Christian Bale, who changes appearance again, to a spectacular Amy Adams who pretends to be a British aristocrat. On the other hand, we find Jennifer Lawrence playing a histrionic and extravagant woman in a very well elaborated way. Bradley Cooper plays a character unable to find something substantial in his life so he transmits his desires and frustrations to his work, we can also find brilliant role played by Jeremy Renner. Even Robert De Niro appears in the film.
The film also boasts a very good musical selection with names like Duke Ellington, Wings, Bee Gees, Donna Summer, Tom Jones, America, Electric Light Orchestra, Jack Jones and Jeff Lynne.
And although it is true that the film is not particularly innovative, the film turns a story of mobsters, criminals, swindlers and corrupt officials into a dramatic and comical proposal that we do not see often, but without being completely surprising. And although it has an excessively descriptive beginning, which abuses explanations and has a hasty outcome, the film is still able to guarantee sufficiently acceptable entertainment.
Trailer
Score
7/10
The film has everything so that the viewer can entertain, and if there is something that does not convince is that all this is the same as we saw at its best in Scorsese, so there is nothing really new, and when the type of work is it becomes repetitive, loses strength and impact. However, I recommend it.
