Anyone familiar with the life of filmmaker David O. Russell is aware of the director's emotional and professional struggles. After a lengthy hiatus between 2004 and 2009, the director re-emerged with his Oscar-nominated film "The Fighter" which seemingly expressed the auteur's own emotional struggle to redeem himself. Last year, director David O. Russell gave the world his venerated "Silver Linings Playbook," another story about redemption that also tied into Russell's struggle with his bi-polar son. Russell's latest effort "American Hustle" builds on the themes of these last two films and features a star-studded cast that includes stars from the two previous outings.
Christian Bale stars as Irving Rosenfeld, a con artist who finds a faithful partner in the attractive Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams at her most attractive). Their new business partnership flourishes until a federal agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper) tracks them down and forces them to cooperate with him in bringing down other con artists. Shortly thereafter, Rosenfeld and DiMaso start tracking down New Jersey mayor Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner) for alleged cooperation with the mafia in rebuilding Atlantic City. This new mission puts the three characters into an intricate love triangle and slowly tests their moral boundaries.
The opening shot of the film is quite symbolic of everything that is to follow and the main characters' search for identity and belonging. Rosenfeld combs his grotesque bald head with what Prosser calls "an elaborate comb over." The new hair-do hides the balding head but emphasizes the fact that Rosenfeld is intricate about hiding the ugly head and presenting a false version of himself; the idea of the con artist could not be more aptly expressed than with this simple metaphor. Shortly after, the three main characters meet for what seems to be a meeting with DiMaso and the emotional turmoil between the three is revealed. After the operation goes haywire, Rosenfeld interjects with a voice-over to explain how he and Prosser got into this mess. What follows is an extended flashback filled with voice-over. The film eventually gets back to the starting point and takes over without the use of voice-over until the end of the film. From this perspective, the split structure actually makes the film feel like two separate movements of a symphony, each with its own color and flavor. The first half moves swiftly and energetically while the second treads into darker material with the tension ramping up slowly until it reaches fever pitch in the film's final act.
Russell does not seem as interest in following the procedure of the hustling as he is about the characters' emotions. The film ultimately plays as a love story between Rosenfeld and Prosser. The characters start off in love but eventually find themselves at odds as they get into trouble with Feds. DiMaso's entrance in the party creates a tension for the two as he provides Prosser with the ultimate chance to fulfill her need of love and acceptance. The majority of the tension between these characters is summed up by their emotional entanglements. During one scene, DiMaso comes to Prosser seeking some respite from the stressful situation he is enduring. He tells her that he loves her until he gets her to melt in his arms. At this point, she makes an important revelation and the scene moves into violent territory. These emotional swings are a dominant feature of this film, but are always expertly executed with seamless transitions. Russell has thrown the word "operatic" around a lot to describe this film and it is probably the most apt way to describe the unfolding of the drama.
As with "The Fighter" and "Silver Linings Playbook," Russell manages to create a world in which the central thesis manifests itself in each character. In "The Fighter," Russell portrayed a world in which every character has attempted to overcome emotional hardships to succeed. "Silver Linings" presented a world in which every character, not just its protagonists, was suffering from some mental ailment or trouble. In "American Hustle," every single character in this film is not what they seem and hustles to get by. Rosenfeld and Prosser hustle to make a living while DiMaso hustles to gain stature in the FBI. Polito works with the mob because he believes that it is the best way to help the people of New Jersey. Even Rosenfeld neurotic wife Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence) uses her son to manipulate her husband into staying with her. As the film develops and new characters enter the fray, Russell manages to seamlessly manifest his thesis onto each one of them. Giving examples here would essentially spoil the film's intricate twists and turns for the viewer. Russell's camera style, which is similar to the two aforementioned films, is unpredictable in its movement and focus, mimicking the erratic nature of its characters. The opening shot of Rosenfeld combing his hair has the camera tilt to his hands on several occasions. In other scenes, the camera will cut from a close-up to an extreme close-up of a detail that Russell wants his viewers to keep tabs on. This constant energy jives with the energetic pace and atmosphere of Russell's 1970s and keeps the film moving at its relentless pace.
Bale won an Oscar for his turn in "The Fighter;" a performance that pushed Bale to his most primal limits. The thespians turn as Rosenfeld is far more subdued in this film as the character hides behind sunglasses, almost blocking out the expression in his eyes. While this would hinder some performances, it places a greater emphasis on Bale's mouth and the rest of his face, all equally expressive in the most subtle of ways. Bale gives off small grins at certain moments that reveal a plan brewing. However, the character slowly finds himself unwinding emotionally as he questions his moral standing; the physical deterioration is also apparent as the narration reveals a lingering heart condition for the character. In one powerful scene, Rosenfeld takes off his sunglasses as he watches Polito's character continue to fall deeper into the trap. Bale's eyes reveal an intense guilt and allow the viewer to connect with the character in a powerful way. Later on, Bale imbues Rosenfeld with fury and an explosive manner during a frenzied encounter with Rosalyn.
Adams is dressed up to stun the viewer throughout and she certainly fulfills this task admirably. However, like Bale's sunglasses, her sexy attire does not distract from a terrific turn from the actress. While Bale's Rosenfeld hides his emotions throughout most of the film, Adam's Prosser always expresses her with just the most subtle glimpses. Russell seems to place a tremendous amount of emphasis on Prosser's emotional turmoil as he constantly cuts to her close-ups during major confrontations between the two characters to emphasize her pleading eyes. She shares extremely tender moments with Bale's Rosenfeld, particularly as the film winds down toward its climax; inversely, her scenes with Cooper are wild and frenzied.
In "Silver Linings," Cooper had a frenzied humility that made him a lovable character. He brings that same energy to the role of DiMaso but the development is in complete contrast to his work in "Silver Linings." While Pat was able to overcome his violent outbursts in the previous film, Cooper's DiMaso becomes even more violent as the film develops. In the aforementioned scene with Adams in which DiMaso declares his love to Prosser showcases this wild emotional swing. He starts off calm and collected and his delivery of the profession of love is quite sincere and tender. However once Prosser makes the revelation to him, Russell cuts to a close-up of DiMaso that has him wide-eyed in disbelief; a shade of anger starts to take over. In the ensuing moments Cooper's DiMaso becomes a wild beast, the violence completely consuming him. The beauty of Cooper's performance is how he stands in stark contrast to Bale's serious and stoic manner throughout the film. Cooper winds up being the life of the party, but his admirable innocence early on actually proves to be a mask for a darker and more conniving character within.
Lawrence won an Oscar for her turn in "Silver Linings Playbook," a turn that only hinted at the neurosis of her performance as Rosalyn in "American Hustle." Of the major stars in the film, Lawrence gets the smallest amount of screen-time but she manages to chew up scenery in every single scene she is in. Her performance is that of a fearless lunatic that is seductive in one moment and an explosive mess in another. One particular scene pits her singing rambunctiously in front of her small son; the recklessness could not be more aptly portrayed.
Renner is full of dignity in his turn as Polito. He is the definition of "killing with kindness" as his character emanates warmth in every scene; the character's final confrontation with Rosenfeld is the one moment of true vulnerability and visceral passion.
Robert DeNiro makes an appearance as a dangerous mobster and plays the part terrifically; he even gets to show off some Arab during the climactic portion of the sequence.
"American Hustle" is a display from pure genius from "the feet up." The actors give tremendous portrayals and Russell's intricate script and nuanced direction takes the viewer on a potent emotional journey. At one point in the movie, Rosenfeld takes DiMaso to an art gallery and presents him with what he purports to be a fake painting. He says something to the effect of "It's not so black or white. It's a lot of shades of gray." A more fitting line, especially considering the films that Russell has made in recent years is that his world is not black or white or grey. Its full of different colors.
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