Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Christian Bale | ... | ||
Bradley Cooper | ... | ||
Amy Adams | ... | ||
Jeremy Renner | ... | ||
Jennifer Lawrence | ... | ||
Louis C.K. | ... | ||
Jack Huston | ... | ||
Michael Peña | ... |
Paco Hernandez /
Sheik Abdullah
|
|
Shea Whigham | ... | ||
Alessandro Nivola | ... | ||
Elisabeth Röhm | ... |
Dolly Polito
(as Elisabeth Rohm)
|
|
Paul Herman | ... | ||
Saïd Taghmaoui | ... |
Irv's Sheik Plant
(as Said Taghmaoui)
|
|
Matthew Russell | ... |
Dominic Polito
|
|
Thomas Matthews | ... |
Francis Polito
|
A fictional film set in the alluring world of one of the most stunning scandals to rock our nation, American Hustle tells the story of brilliant con man Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale), who along with his equally cunning and seductive British partner Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) is forced to work for a wild FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper). DiMaso pushes them into a world of Jersey powerbrokers and mafia that's as dangerous as it is enchanting. Jeremy Renner is Carmine Polito, the passionate, volatile, New Jersey political operator caught between the con-artists and Feds. Irving's unpredictable wife Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence) could be the one to pull the thread that brings the entire world crashing down. Written by Sony Pictures Entertainment
There are no spoilers in my review:
I have never been so disappointed in a film. With all the hype, I expected another House of Games (1987) or Grifter (1990) or maybe a hard edged drama like The Departed. Instead I saw a very boring film that had no idea what it was. Before I went in, I read that it was a drama. Others said a comedy. Others said a dark comedy. It attempted to be all of the above and succeeded at none. The movie was so boring, after 45 minutes I started to watch the reactions of the viewers around me in the packed theater. It was very telling. Over and over, we would be presented a drama scene with deep consequences to the plot and characters followed by what was supposed to be a funny scene. For example, we have someone worried they are going to get killed at anytime followed by a housewife cleaning her house while dancing to the song "Live & Let Die." Do you laugh? You uneasily chuckle. A little. At the end of the scene when you realize the director is holding up the "laugh" sign. In another scene, you have a character do harm to his superior. The superior is beaten pretty badly. Not only is the subordinate not punished, it is played for laughs, Not knowing what reaction I was supposed to have actually made my stomach queasy - and I eat habaneros for breakfast! I said several times to the people I was with that this is boring. This is not well done. They all agreed. The ending and wrap up will leave you in awe at its lacking.
So much talent and potential wasted.