Christian Bale gained 43 pounds for his role in “American Hustle.” When he first appears on screen, he spends minutes “perfecting” an elaborate comb over of glued on hair and parted strands that will fool no one.
The beauty is that Bale and O. Russell have fooled everyone. We immediately are torn between the “real” Bale, the real character he’s portraying or the carefully tailored version he’s putting on for his associates, and if this portrayal is good enough, we’ll believe whatever these master performers put in front of us.
“American Hustle” is a brilliant charade of a movie. It’s a talky, intricate and intrigue filled caper in which everyone’s a con artist and there’s little sense of what’s real and what isn’t. We’ve been conditioned to believe in the movies there’s a certain element of truth within each story, no matter how fictional, fantastical or how deceitful and crafty the characters.
O. Russell’s film takes the real life story of ABSCAM, a ‘70s FBI sting operation that convicted several congressmen and a senator, and turns that concept of reality on its head. He opens the film with “Some of this actually happened,” a clever twist on the ambiguous “Based on a True Story,” and inhabits his and Eric Singer’s screenplay with a wacky, high octane and deliciously fun investigation that can’t be fully followed, trusted or believed in the slightest.
We never seem to mind that the film may be lying to us or that the characters most certainly know more than we suspect. “American Hustle” is entirely built upon an idea that the ugly can be absolutely enticing. Bale plays Irving Rosenfeld, a con man with a hideous paunch belly and thick glasses beneath a messy head of hair, and yet as his girlfriend Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) describes him, he’s fairly repugnant, but there is something “magic” about him.
Bale purports to give investment loans to men at their most desperate, claiming their non-refundable $5000 fee and paying back nothing. After he and Sydney fall in love, attracted by their own intellects and affinity for luxury and style, she doubles his business by donning a fake British accent and becoming Lady Edith Greensley, seducing and convincing men of her royalty and connections.
But there’s an added layer to this ugly display. Irving has a child and wildcard of a wife, Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence). Rosalyn talks of how most perfume is laced with a disgusting ingredient, and how their family dynamic is built upon fighting and fucking as a way to get through the day.
Things get additionally complicated when the smooth talking and instantly charming Richie DiMasso (Bradley Cooper), a man asking for Irving and Sydney’s help, turns out to be an FBI agent on a bust. He recruits the pair of them to assist in a bigger takedown of crime bosses and politicians in what will lead to the ABSCAM operation.
Irving recruits a fake Arab Sheik to incriminate New Jersey Mayor Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner). Mayor Polito is a noble politician with a mission to rebuild Atlantic City to its former glory, and he hopes some seed money from the Sheik will get things started.
“American Hustle” deepens and deepens in its plot structure with each moment. It begins to pile on with so much magnetic force until we realize everyone is putting on someone. Irving has his own agenda to run off with Sydney once the sting is over, and he may even be building an allegiance to Mayor Polito. Sydney is caught in a love triangle between Irving and Richie, but then she hasn’t dropped her Edith persona either. Richie is going over the head of his supervisor Stoddard Thorsen (Louis C.K.) to get brownie points with the agency. And Rosalyn may be the most precarious of all, a loose cannon who is either a complete dolt or knows more than anyone realizes.
O. Russell orchestrates this all with eloquent style. As the narrative weaves and diverts focus, so does his camera. The cinematography by Linus Sandgren is so loose and mobile, creating dizzying dances of ‘70s glamour as Irving and Sydney make out in a dry cleaning ring or as Carmine toasts the room at a fundraising gala.
O. Russell drenches the film in low-plunging necklines, permed hair and ‘70s pop staples. Jennifer Lawrence in particular has an electric scene singing and dancing to Paul McCartney’s “Live and Let Die” that only confirms her exuberant demeanor. The long tracking shots, the score and even a surprise cameo bare an uncanny resemblance to Martin Scorsese’s “Goodfellas” and an entire genre he helped create, but then this too is O. Russell pulling a forgery.
Style and story notwithstanding, “American Hustle” is an actors’ film, made believable by the con artists in the drivers’ seat. Bale is more understated than his appearance gives him credit for, not acting with a Capital A like in “The Fighter” and doing a De Niro impression that gives exactly the sensation O. Russell is looking for.
Amy Adams is magnificent in her dual role. She’s capable of turning on a dime to become vulnerable and tearful or an absolute vixen in complete control. Cooper just keeps getting better, utilizing his screwball chops he developed in “Silver Linings Playbook” and taking them to scary lengths. Watch him unload on Louis C.K. or verbally berate Adams with dangerous skill.
Then there’s Jennifer Lawrence, playing above her age yet again. Her character is certainly juicy, but she sells it completely, playing the fool with comedic dexterity and asserting hidden power before your eyes. Even Jeremy Renner is wonderful, serving as the real heart of the film and the single compassionate, real character in the bunch. He’s not getting any Oscar buzz, but his charismatic moments make me think he’s better suited to this work than the life of an action star.
There’s a moment in “American Hustle” when Sydney and Richie have gone over Irving’s head to get access to $2 million that will be used to snare the Mayor. Irving storms out, but something Sydney says makes Richie wonder if she might be playing him. “I’m just leaving the cards on the table.”
O. Russell has done that, sprawling the entire deck out for us to study and marvel over, and it’s up to us to find all the winning hands he lays out.
4 stars
Good review Brian. It’s a bit of a mess, but it’s still a whole bunch of fun because of how great the ensemble is. Especially Cooper, who better get a nomination or something for his work here.