Movie Review: "American Hustle"

self | 12/26/2013 | LS

[LS]

Every once in a while Hollywood produces a film that is not only well acted but extremely well written. "American Hustle," loosely based on the Abscam sting operation of the 1970s, will certainly be in the running for best picture.

Christian Bale plays Irving Rosenfeld, again based loosely on con man Melvin Weinberg, who pretends to be a front for a "sheik" (played by Michael Pena---a Hispanic playing an Arab itself is a source of some good lines) to entrap congressmen and other public officials including "Mayor Polito," a friend of Rosenfeld's again based somewhat on Camden mayor Angelo Erricheti.

The cast not only is extremely strong, featuring the morphling Bale (who goes from muscular Batman to the crackhead brother in "The Fighter" to the paunchy, balding Rosenfeld), but versatile Amy Adams (who gets better in every picture), hunk Brad Cooper (sufficiently de-hunkized with a curley-cue hair job) and the talented (and yes, hot) Jennifer Lawrence. At one point or another in the movie, each of the four is paired one-on-one with the other and they handle the scenes masterfully. Mayor Polito is played by ("Hawkeye" in the Avengers) Jeremy Renner in another solid performance. But Bale carries the show, with Lawrence a strong second.

This is a scam movie---who'se zommin' who---in the tradition of "The Sting," although the climax isn't as dramatic. But, more than "The Sting," "American Hustle" looks at the erosion of dignity and humanity brought about by the simplest of lies. Ultimately, it shows us that regardless of how adept one is at lying, it exacts a cost on the soul.

There is unrelenting foul language (apparently a trademark of screenwriters these days) but no obvious sex and surprisingly little violence. After watching (to my regret) "The Fast and the Furious Six" the other night, in which the car chases and explosions were unrelenting, it was good to watch quality screenwriting in action. In the end, the moral is you can't con a con man.

[Bender2]

Re: You have an amazing likeness to Sonny Bono but you look to be 6 feet tall.

Gadzooks? Sonny... Bono?

Over the years, I've been told I look... like lots of folks--

Robby... the Robot--

George... Raft--

Robin... Hood--

Willie... Shakespeare--

Humphrey... Bogart in Casablanca--

Marlon... Brando in The Godfather--

John... Wayne--

Christopher... Walken--

Steve... McQueen--

Bruce... Dern--

Otter... in Animal House--

Ram... bo--

Peter... O'Toole--

Jack... Nicholson--

Bond... Jame Bond--

Super... man--

Hattie... McDaniel--

and Steven... Spielberg--

But never, ever Sonny... Bono.

[Tijeras_Slim]

Empire of the Sun is a gem, and Bale held his own with John Malkovich, which is quite a feat.

Rescue Dawn is another great movie with Bale that didn’t receive much notice.

[hattend]

You don't see it? Must be just me...

[NFHale]

HA!!!

Nice pix!

Yeah, there was a serious fashion faux pas overall going on back then... bell bottoms and platform shoes on duded (No, I NEVER wore those)... polyester leisure suits and chest hair sticking out with bling...

But then again... looking at some of the morons walking around now with their baggy pants hanging down off their asses, too stupid to realize that that advertises that they were someone’s jailhouse b*tch... well, in lieu of that, the 70s fashions weren’t all that bad, were they...

Nice hat, bro! And the lady in red is a beaut!

[NFHale]

“...Disco music was not really that bad, I bet there are secret disco fans among us. Donna Summer was great....”

You’re talking to a guy here who played guitar in Hendrix, Zeppelin, and Deep Purple tribute bands... I just couldn’t stand the repetitiveness of the disco stuff.

That being said... the disco broads looked like tramps, and that wasn’t a bad thing (wink)...

[shove_it]

Wait a minute, that's not Otter in Animal House ...

Here I am ... ... Cheers, Otter

[Bender2]

Re: You don't see... it? Must be just me...

Look, hat, back in the 60s, I had a torrid affair with Bendy just because... he was the total opposite of Sonny. That sorry son-of-a-bitch husband of mine turned out to be a Republican!

Now, that shows what a hell of an actor... I am!

[Bender2]

Re: And the lady in red... is a beaut!

Yes, Faith was... the one that got away--

Come on, Bend, spill it! How did... she get away?

She stole... my damn car!

[Bender2]

Re: Here I... am

Gadzooks! Is that... really you, Otter?

Yeah, Bend. All that booze didn't make me age well... did it?

Well, eating raw trout... keeps me looking forever young!

[shove_it]

Yup, that's really me, Bendy ... ... enjoying a Yuengling at the expense of FReeper Airborne when the Wings clipped the Penguins for the Stanley Cup 5 years ago. I look a lot younger now, though.

Are those three little trout keepers? ... ... They look kinda puny. You must be the old fat guy with the shit-eatin' grin holding 'em.

Incidentally, that movie "American Hustle" is really enjoyable. I saw it yesterday.

[Bender2]

That was me at Groundhog Lake up in SW Colorado about 9 or 10 years ago... Yes, they were puny but the lake was being drained that year and there was no limit so we didn't cull our catch. I fried and ate those three about an hour later for lunch and then went out that afternoon to catch a bunch more.

All my immediate family has died or moved away from my small Texas home town, so instead of driving hours to see family, I plan to see Grudge Match at 11:25 AM tomorrow and Saving Mr. Banks right afterward at 2:10 PM at my local multiplex. American Hustle is not showing here but when it does, I'll check it out.

[Impy]

[Impy]

Just imagine. “Hey do you guys remember Trayvon, Miley Cyrus before she got fat and ODed, stupid “celebrity” baby names and the destruction of the American health care system? Fun times!!” That sentence will never be spoken. Will the youngest generation die without ever experiencing nostalgia?

OTOH I recently saw a picture of all my uncles with 70’s hair. Yikes! ;p

[Bender2]

Happy New Year ALL!

[airborne]

Happy New Year Bender!

Yeah, that's me holding Lord Stanley's Cup in 2009, when my Penguins skated it around on Detroit's ice.

Hope this year is better than the last. Looks like you're living life well, my FRiend!

[shove_it]

Lookin’ good there buddy with the SC. Here’s to a happy, healthy & prosperous 2014 guys!!

My Red Wings are having a horrible year on home ice and we need a goalie. Hoping to join you again in the NHL playoffs.

[rabidralph]

Thanks for the retro pix.

[Guenevere]

Did you see & if so, did you like Hunger Games?

[Guenevere]

How foul is the language?......are you talking F-bomb or taking the Lord’s name in vain?

[LS]

Oh yeah.