Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Latest
    • 3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)
    • 3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)
    • 3625. Ode To Joy (2019)
    • 3624. One Chance (2013)
    • 3623. Falling For Figaro (2020)
    • 3622. The Polka King (2017)
    • 3621. Spies In Disguise (2019)
    • 3620. Friendzone (2021)
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Home
    • Blog
      • All Posts
      • Best Of The Year
        • Best Of 2015
        • Best Of 2016
        • Best Of 2017
        • Best Of 2018
        • Best Of 2019
        • Best Of 2020
        • Best Of 2021
        • Best Of 2022
      • The Decade In Review
      • Box Office Analysis
      • James Bond
      • Oscars
      • RANKED
      • Star Wars
      • The Big Questions
      • Top 10
      • World Cinema
    • Ratings
      • Top 250
      • Top 100 Foreign Films
      • Bottom 50
      • 0 – 1.9
      • 2 – 3.9
      • 4 – 5.9
      • 6 – 7.9
      • 8 – 10
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Anthology
      • Animation
      • Christmas
      • Comedy
      • Crime
      • Documentary
      • Drama
      • Fantasy
      • Film-Noir
      • History
      • Horror
      • Kids’
      • Musical
      • Psychological
      • Romance
      • Sci-Fi
      • Short
      • Silent
      • Sport
      • Superhero
      • Survival
      • Thriller
      • Western
    • Release Year
      • 2020s
      • 2010s
      • 2000s
      • 1990s
      • 1980s
      • 1970s
      • 1960s
      • 1950s
      • 1940s
      • 1930s
      • 1920s
    • Country
      • Afghanistan
      • Argentina
      • Australia
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Brazil
      • Cambodia
      • Canada
      • Chile
      • China
      • Colombia
      • Costa Rica
      • Czechoslovakia
      • Czech Republic
      • Denmark
      • East Timor
      • Faroe Islands
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Georgia
      • Greece
      • Hong Kong
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Ireland
      • Israel
      • Italy
      • Japan
      • Latvia
      • Lebanon
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Mexico
      • New Zealand
      • Nigeria
      • North Korea
      • Norway
      • Paraguay
      • Peru
      • Philippines
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • South Africa
      • Soviet Union
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
      • Uganda
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • Uruguay
      • Vietnam
      • Zambia
    • About
    The Mad Movie Man
    You are at:Home»Review»401. American Hustle (2013)

    401. American Hustle (2013)

    0
    By The Mad Movie Man on January 1, 2014 130-139 mins, 2013, 8 - 10, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Jan 14, Movies Of 2014, Review, United States
    8.6 Fun, intriguing and stylish
    • Acting 8.6
    • Directing 8.6
    • Story 8.7
    • User Ratings (0 Votes) 0

    Starring: Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper

    Director: David O. Russell

    Running Time: 138 mins


    American Hustle is an American film about a pair of con artists who fall into a federal scam after being forced into it by an FBI agent, keen on improving his reputation by uncovering allegations of bribery and corruption in New Jersey.

    This is a simply excellent comedy-crime movie, with fantastically funny humour from start to finish, a stylish portrayal of its groovy time period, and a hugely compelling story that goes beyond the main scam and looks in depth at the main players in a brilliantly character-driven film.

    David O. Russell’s movies are famous for their brilliant blend of comedy and emotional drama, and this is easily the one that pulls that off with the most success. Seriously, this is a massively funny film, with both a heap of laugh-out-loud moments throughout as well as more subtle humour that satires the real-life Abscam scandal, making this a really enjoyable film to watch.

    But this still isn’t a comedy, and the humour definitely doesn’t cheapen the brilliant drama in the story. The main plot, revolving around the con artists’ involvement in this attempt to bring down corruption in politics and the various intricacies and deceptions of the crime is relatively interesting, but what’s most compelling is the story of the characters in this film.

    Featuring an ensemble cast, American Hustle looks at the lives of five very imperfect main characters. Much like any Scorsese film, most of them are likeable anti-hero criminals, but what this film does really well is create a fascinating and thrilling story by looking at the tension between them.

    There are all sorts of things holding these people together as well as pushing these apart, and throughout the film, you can just feel that they’re all on the tipping point with one another. The relationship between Christian Bale and Jennifer Lawrence’s characters, husband and irritating wife, is particularly interesting and full of life, because it’s not only a pretty realistic presentation of the relationship, but also one that continually bubbles up throughout the story, providing more and more excitement and intrigue from start to finish.

    One of the most eye-catching things about this film is how it presents its time period, which is around 1978. Apart from having one of the best soundtracks I’ve ever heard, it shows all the excessive glitz of the 70s as if it’s really stylish, instead of as silly as it actually looks, and that really helps to make this a more wholly engrossing film that pulls you in and shows off a fascinating time period.

    Finally, the performances here are also stunning. A-listers like Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Renner and Jennifer Lawrence all do a fantastic job in their respective roles, and are a joy to watch, but it’s Amy Adams that really stands out here. She plays an American moonlighting as a British woman, and puts on a brilliantly warped accent as well as an all-round fantastic performance that makes her character seem all the more unpredictable and mysterious, creating even more intrigue for you.

    Overall, I’ll give American Hustle an 8.6, because it’s not only a hugely entertaining comedy caper, but also a thrillingly intriguing character study with a stylish atmosphere and brilliant performances.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    The Mad Movie Man, AKA Anthony Cullen, writes articles and reviews about movies and the world of cinema. Since January 1st, 2013, he has watched and reviewed a movie every day. This is the blog dedicated to the project: www.madmovieman.com

    Related Posts

    7.1

    3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)

    5.8

    3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)

    7.9

    3625. Ode To Joy (2019)

    Follow Me Online!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Tumblr
    New Releases
    5.3
    January 17, 2022

    3620. Friendzone (2021)

    7.1
    January 10, 2022

    3612. The Lost Daughter (2021)

    8.0
    January 7, 2022

    3609. Licorice Pizza (2021)

    7.2
    January 7, 2022

    3608. Lamb (2021)

    7.4
    December 30, 2021

    3599. The King’s Man (2021)

    6.3
    December 29, 2021

    3598. The Matrix Resurrections (2021)

    8.4
    December 28, 2021

    3597. West Side Story (2021)

    6.3
    December 27, 2021

    3596. Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)

    Recommended Movies
    8.4
    Review
    May 6, 20130

    144. Zombieland (2009)

    8.5
    Review
    December 27, 20160

    1596. Deepwater Horizon (2016)

    8.2
    Review
    January 1, 20170

    1601. Snatch (2000)

    8.9
    Review
    November 13, 20200

    3151. War Of The Worlds (2005)

    8.2
    Review
    August 7, 20210

    3436. The Suicide Squad (2021)

    Popular Posts
    7.1
    January 24, 2022

    3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)

    5.8
    January 23, 2022

    3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)

    7.9
    January 22, 2022

    3625. Ode To Joy (2019)

    7.4
    January 21, 2022

    3624. One Chance (2013)

    6.3
    January 20, 2022

    3623. Falling For Figaro (2020)

    7.5
    January 19, 2022

    3622. The Polka King (2017)

    6.0
    January 18, 2022

    3621. Spies In Disguise (2019)

    © 2022 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.