American Hustle Film Review

Hustle in to see American Hustle!

Long story short: "A con man, Irving Rosenfeld, along with his seductive British partner, Sydney Prosser, is forced to work for a wild FBI agent, Richie DiMaso. DiMaso pushes them into a world of Jersey powerbrokers and mafia." (Source:IMDB)

American Hustle lays out everything you love about the 70s: great hair, leisure suits, cocaine, and shattered dreams.

The film is built as the 2013 revival of the classic Scorsese gangster pictures like Goodfellas and Casino, but without the gangsters. It has the plot twists, the plethora of pop tunes, the conniving characters, the backstabbings, the high life, the low life, the disgruntled females merciless attached to crooked husbands, the stranded children, and so on. But it's new. Fresh out of the oven. Baked with wonderful performances and tight scriptwriting. And it has characters who inhabit the story and make it their own.

American Hustle is without a shadow of a doubt the best picture that David O. Russel could ever make, and that says a whole lot due to the caliber of excellence already under his belt. Its a sprawling epic of a crime movie that hearkens back to some of the greatest cinematic techniques utilized by Scorsese and Altman. Its a brilliant screenplay of sorts that only increases with cultural flair and dramatic tension with every frame. Its easy to really pin down the plot of the film since this certainly isn't the first time a movie has been made about successful and or unsuccessful con men in the midst of their "crime of the century". But what makes this movie shine the most is its performances, which are without a doubt one of the greatest of the year (12 Years A Slave is a worthy contender) . Also including perhaps the best cameo I've seen -not because of the cameo itself, but because of the meaning of the cameo.
Every single one of them--Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, and Jennifer Lawrence--deserved their nominations. Bale is subtle and brilliant as Irving, the main conman. He is unappealing and dubious, yet you can't help but like him. His later soft heart towards Jeremy Renner's Carmine is icing on the cake for the dabbling in the gray area. Amy Adams shines, literally at times, as Sydney, Irving's con partner. She is the most volatile and hardest character to read for most of the film. Adams embodies the cocoon that Sydney has created with elegance and fiery deceit. Cooper is entirely convincing as the Richie, the FBI agent whose own ambition proves to be too much. Cooper brings the same electrifying energy he put on display for 'Silver Linings Playbook' (2012), and doesn't miss a beat between howl of laughter of roar of frustration as his plans become convoluted to a maximal degree. Jeremy Renner is also an absolute winner as Carmine, the mayor, despite not receiving an award nod as of yet. Renner is the consummate politician, and you can't help but sympathize with his character (even though you wonder if you should be, 95% of the time). Last, but certainly not least, is Jennifer Lawrence's Rosalyn, Irving's hysterical, deranged wife. The hype around Lawrence's role is well-deserved, she solidified herself among the elite with this role. Each of her scenes brought laughs and anticipation as you awaited what sort of screwball situations her character would stir up next. Standing ovation to all of the cast on this one--you stand far high above the rest. 

 Many viewers claim to be confused and/or bored by the plot. This is a grievous misstep on their part, in my opinion. The brilliance of the plot lies in the thematic mists of the 'gray areas' if you pay close attention.  At the core, this movie is more than just a dazzling spectacle of throwback clothing and crazy hairstyles. It speaks to an era. It speaks to human emotion and ambition. It speaks to the world we live in today. It speaks sometimes with an infectious British accent and sometimes adroitly American. Most importantly, it speaks. Go out and listen to what it has to say (too corny?)

Seen the film? Tell me what you think!

Another Carrie Film? WHY?!

it's all about the money!

Hollywood only wants to make films that are "pre-sold" nowadays, by this i mean recognisable "properties" such as sequels, re-makes, superheroes, board games, action figures, breakfast cereals, etc. Why? Well, The only explanation I can think of for all the remakes and sequels is that the studios have become risk-averse. So something new and original might be a success or it might be a bomb. Do the same thing as before/everyone else is doing and it's safer. And very dull.

Carrie(2013) is the 3rd film adaptation of the Stephen King novel. Was another film adaptation needed? absolutely not, but would you pass on the chance of guaranteed financial gain? because let's face it, if Stephen King's name is on it, it will sell. After the much-loved 1976 Brian De Palma adaption which is considered by not only my sister, but many others, as one of the best horror films ever made, other people have been cashing in on this Carrie gold mine (e.g. the broadway musical adaptation in 1988, a terrible and much unneeded sequel in 1999, a 2002 TV remake which intended as the pilot for a series that never happened and now this). 

"Why not?"

Because it is yet another remake, and don't say it doesn't count as a remake because it is an adaptation of King's book, because for much of the film it is a carbon copy of de Palma's classic.

So, why not indeed? Because it is yet another example of the devastating lack of imagination that runs rampant in Hollywood circles, for the same reason a new watered down version of Robocop is being inflicted upon the masses next year to shit on the original.

Just make some new films, it's not hard. There must thousands of brand new scripts lurking around in agents in-trays, propping up desks in studios, but we'll never see them, we will just get sequels and remakes and re-imaginings, because that is all Hollywood feels that we deserve.

I am not a "hater" of remakes

I'm all for remakes if they have something new to offer, or something new to say. I love both versions of "The Thing" and "The Blob" and the first two versions of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers". BUT I am wary of all the lazy producers in Hollywood who do remakes for no other reason than the fact that they think it is a guaranteed financial success, or directors and scriptwriters who think a remake of a classic will resonate more with young audiences thanks to the addition of fart jokes or better CGI. If there is cynicism about remakes, it is well earned. I have zero respect for people who merely want to "have a go" and turn out what is essentially a carbon copy.

side note: Chloë Grace Moretz is way too pretty to play Carrie.

As always, you can leave your opinions below.