'American Hustle' review by Captain Raptor

'American Hustle' review by Captain Raptor

It probably doesn't seem like it, but I think that the worldwide obsession with Jennifer Lawrence (which I completely endorse) has peaked, maybe around the time of last year's Oscar ceremony. Her endlessly GIF'd stumble aside, Silver Linings Playbook obtained a sweep of nominations, serves as a landmark point in the career of almost everybody involved, and it's current cultural significance is pretty much indisputable. So, obviously, I still haven't seen it. As a sort of karmic apology to David O Russell, I watched his latest effort, featuring many of the same cast members.

The most immediately striking thing about American Hustle is the more superficial elements - the outlandishly stereotypical 70's outfits and hairstyles, the fluid camerawork and the fantastic soundtrack. It's a brilliantly stylish film, but the near fetishistic approach to showcasing its wardrobe can be grating at times. As wonderful as Christian Bale's comb-over is, the film's best parts lie elsewhere, in the performances. An absolutely phenomenal cast share equal levels of brilliance in their roles, even the smaller players like Louis CK and a menacing Robert De Niro on cameo duties. It's hard to pick any one cast member as particularly stand-out, but Lawrence and Bale are probably the most attention grabbing; although in fairness to their fellow cast members, those two have the most outlandish characters to play around with. They're backed up by a script that's got fair measures of intelligence and a low-key sense of drama. The film's a drier, more serious affair than I expected, but by no means was this a disappointment; besides, there are a few incredibly funny moments, in particular a scene revolving around a microwave and a recurring joke about an ice fishing anecdote. 

Some underlying weak points do impair the film a little. The plot doesn't really conjure up anything new, it could do with a little more editing, the ending's a little too abrupt and convenient for my taste, and the camera seems to be on a life-or-death mission to objectify Amy Adams. Those are more than minor flaws, but they're vastly overpowered by the sheer excellence of the film's style and performances. The flashiness can be gratuitous but it does make for a sleek, charismatic, highly polished final product, and all the main cast get an opportunity to display a full skill set - there are equally engrossing moments of heightened emotion and of near total restraint. It's a well balanced set of characters, all greatly flawed but understandable and likable, all distinct personalities but realistic and never caricatured.  

American Hustle is a wonderful piece of cinema, but a few tweaks and alterations and it could have been even better. That aside, it's got brains, drama, style and outstanding performances, which far more than makes up for anything that it does wrong. It's a strange blend of straight-faced realism and farce, but ultimately it's an excellent movie that had me entertained nearly throughout, and at times even captivated.