Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Cast: Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Jennifer Lawrence, Louis C.K., Jack Huston, Saïd Taghmaoui, Michael Peña, Shea Whigham, Alessandro Novola, Elisabeth Röhm, Paul Herman, Robert De Niro, Anthony Zerbe.
In the minds of many this side of the great ocean divide that separates the United States of America from the U.K. the glitz and glamour that is seen in various television shows and films centres on the likes of Miami and Las Vegas, further down the list is Atlantic City, a bolt hole for gambling in the upper portion of the great state of New Jersey but one in which too few ballads, poems or dreams are made of.
Except unlike the unbelievable sight of the great wooden elephant Lucy, the wooden and sheet metal creation that resides just south of Atlantic City, the reality of gambling is one that has made an impact on the world in that once quiet corner of America. American Hustle looks at the nature of the con, long and short in 1970s America, the way that from whichever angle you look at it, somebody, somewhere was out to make money from a newly built casino along the Atlantic shoreline.
Based on a true story, American Hustle sees Christian Bale perform perhaps his greatest role for many years. The performance as Irving Rosenfeld, a man so far removed from the persona of Batman as you can imagine is enough to restore faith that there really is life after a successful comic book/film franchise. It is a performance worthy of the man’s very obvious talent and not since 2004’s The Machinist has he seemed so immersed into a role that didn’t require him to be part of the D.C. superhero world. Not only does he give a performance in which he is believable, solid and captivating but he brings out the very best in all those around him also in a film that really brings together the idea of the ensemble. The relationship he has with the two female leads in the film is intriguing and that it self sees them play off against each other very well.
The reversal of the mob kiss off, the very act of singling out a man who is there to be killed and done away with is captured perfectly in the bathroom scene in which, Rosalyn Rosenfeld, played by Jennifer Lawrence kisses a shocked Sydney Prosser/Lady Edith Greensly, a consummate performance by Amy Adams, after the pair confront each other about their relationship with Irving Rosenfeld. The neurotic mess with control issues taking on a woman with identity issues is one in which to savour. The explosion though ends there and it is just a shame it didn’t go mentally further, there seems to have been a moment in which the psychology of it could have been twisted again.
No film concerning the mob would be complete without the raging bull of American film Robert De Niro. A man who is easily in the top three actors of American cinema makes only the briefest of appearances but it is a chilling few minutes in which the cinematic tastebuds are satisfied beyond measure. The confrontation between Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence is heightened as the stand-off, unnervingly quiet, unspoken but full of impending menace between Christian Bale and Robert De Niro as they sit around the table discussing terms of ownership is one that makes the thought of mobster rule so undeniably terrifying. Just one look from Mr. De Niro is enough to send a shiver of cold blood streaming down the spine.
It is easy to see why the film has so been so heavily featured in the awards season, the deference it pays rather handsomely to older films in the genre makes it enjoyable but also it should send a message to all that even now in the 21st Century these sort of back door deals, the long con, whether played by unscrupulous politicians or the small time hustler knocking off the odd microwave or bottle of perfume still makes the world go round.
Ian D. Hall