Monday, December 30, 2013

American Hustle

American Hustle (David O. Russell, 2013)
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Rating: Q=8, P=7 / Obsession
Scale 1=4, Scale 2=4, Scale 3=4, Scale 4=3

1978, AB SCAM, Crime, Sting, Complex Relationships

I thoroughly enjoyed the latest from David O. Russell. One thing is always true in his films: the acting shines. Bradley Cooper is phenomenal playing a character that I wanted to strangle half the movie... such an interesting role. Christian Bale and Amy Adams are wonderful, as usual, but Jennifer Lawrence is really fantastic as yet another bizarre and intriguing character.

I loved seeing 1978 through the clothes, style, and hair (so much crazy hair!). The soundtrack was awesome and fit the situations so perfectly. Russell knows that stories work best when there are layers of conflict and blurry lines. He did this tremendously well with Silver Linings Playbook last year. This one is no different--what really is a crime? What is a sin? The lines are very fuzzy in American Hustle just like they are in life.

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