Movie Review: American Hustle

American Hustle (2013): Loosely based on the Abscam scandals of the 1970's, David O. Russell's latest is a character study on the major players involved in the scandal, including Irving Rosenfeld, Sydney Prosser, Rosalyn Rosenfeld, FBI Agent Richie DiMaso, and then-Camden Mayor Carmine Polito.

This. This is why I love movies. There is something about walking into a theater with a bunch of strangers, watching a movie, and at the end realizing you just watched a movie that will be considered an American classic in twenty years. The only thing stopping this from being the best movie of this year is Gravity. However where Gravity was a technical masterpiece, American Hustle is a literary masterpiece. Can that exist? Ya. It can now. The story here is masterfully told, with David O. Russell employing many of my personal favorite director's methods. In other words, this movie felt like a Martin Scorsese movie from start to finish. From the use of multiple narrators throughout the movie, to zooming in on one specific character in a moment of emotional crisis, or the time-specific pop music used throughout the movie, Russell goes above and beyond to make this movie feel like both Goodfellas and Casino. Two of the all-time great Scorsese flicks. At one point there are even competing narrators in the movie! So many film elements that shouldn't work and yet come together brilliantly.

So the story is what is going to make this a movie that lives on for years to come, however the acting is a very close second. You know the cast, but I like throwing these names all together in one sentence. It's fun. The David O. Russell acting core that is following him in his movies now include Christian Bale and Amy Adams, from The Fighter, to Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, from Silver Linings Playbook, to newcomer Jeremy Renner. All are phenomenal. Amy Adams will definitely give Emma Thompson a run for her money for Best Actress. HOLY CRAP IS SHE SEXY. She was my favorite actress in Hollywood before she did this movie. And then she was in this. Which may be her best performance yet. Besides for a lot of Amy Adams' sideboob, she effectively switched between a convincing British accent and her normal voice all throughout the movie. Including switching back and forth between the accents in a couple of single-shot takes. It was fascinating to watch. I don't know if Christian Bale will be nominated for Best Actor though. His performance honestly was kind of lost behind everyone else. He still put on a phenomenal performance, and in almost any other movie I would be praising him heavily for his role, but here he's in the background. Bradley Cooper. Oh man Bradley Cooper. He played the FBI agent so so well. Crazy and unpredictable, Cooper effectively shows us his descent into the world of Bale and Adams. And Lawrence is great as well! She only has a couple of scenes here but man does she sell me on her character! And it is a complete 180 from anything else she's ever done. Again. Damn that girl can act. Every time I see her on screen she just blows me away.

I have exactly two complaints. One was that it took me far too long to really understand what was going on. I couldn't really understand the game they were playing unti somewhere in the second act. But I got past that by focusing on the character study that was being created on screen. The other complaint I had was with the movie's inability to really let me appreciate the gravity of the situation these people were in. Unfortunately, this is a direct comparison to Casino and Goodfellas, as it took me about a minute into the film to realize that this movie was very similar to those two. Whereas in Casino and Goodfellas you really feel like the character's lives are in danger, in part because various characters are dying left and right, here you don't get that sense at all, despite the fact that it's clearly there. Sure they are involved with casino mobsters, headed by a very familiar actor to this I might add, (not spoiling the several great cameos) but that whole plot line is rather hastily resolved. Thus I didn't get the sense of danger these guys were in. I definitely got the legal danger, just not the....uh....life danger

So ya...go see this. I can't emphasize this enough: it is most certainly a future classic. 

The Critique: A masterpiece of storytelling, this will be a movie that is talked about for a LONG time. Masterfully directed and acted, this is most certainly a frontrunner for best picture. Look out Gravity.

The Recommendation: A must-see for any fan of American cinema. And for everyone who hates American cinema as well. As in everyone. Go see this. Now.

Rewatchability: High

The Verdict: 9.5/10 Damn Near Perfect. Honestly it's like a 9.8 but I just can't give this one a 10. Almost can. Soooooo close.

Where to See It: This definitely deserves to be watched in theaters. For sure. It's not a technical masterpiece, but 20 years from now you'll want to say that you saw this masterpiece in a theater.

Oscar Talk: Lots. Definitely Best Director, Actress, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Picture, Costumes, Set Design....lots. I mean that's seven that I guarantee will be there for sure.