Sometimes we build up films, books or music in our heads
before it gets released. Heaping more and more pressure on to whatever it is we
are waiting for. Anticipation is not a bad thing most of the time, however, if
it goes unchecked or is increased by outside influences, then it can lead to
severe disappointments. Something that can make even a passable or good piece
of art, look like a load of rubbish.
American Hustle
loosely, and I mean loosely, tells the story of the Abscam scandal in the late
seventies in America, in which a number of politicians were arrested in a sting
operation by the FBI. That however, is more of a backdrop for what is,
essentially a character piece. Our main characters are two con artists and an
FBI agent looking to make a name for himself.
As it is a character piece, it‘s driven and interested more
on the characters and performances than anything else and top of the list is
Christian Bale. This is, to put it out there right now, one of Bale’s best
performances ever, as Irving Rosenfeld the experienced con man who is forced
into the FBI operation for reasons I won’t go into here.
Where other performances verge on parody or awards baiting,
Bale keeps it understated, realising that with the already substantial amount
of hair and make up he has on, that he too could become nothing more than a
joke. Not only are his big scenes
quite often the films strongest moments, he also manages to lift the smaller
scenes, even when he may not have anything to say, with nothing more than a
look. This performance is the
stand out reason for seeing this film.
With such a rich story and setting, it is a sad aspect of
the film that the plot is pushed to the side. Yes, the performances are good,
but they hardly drive the film forward. You could easily divide the films
scenes up into two categories. Character and Plot quite easily. Despite the
clear preference for character scenes, if is more often that not the more plot
based scenes that are the best. Which makes it a shame that the ratio is
heavily favoured the other way.
A quick note on the music, something that is often a
strength of David O Russell’s films, he uses it to build the world and period,
but also matches them perfectly to the scenes or sequences we are watching. The
club scene between Adams and Cooper is made to feel even more intense and
euphoric with the O Russell’s perfect choice of song. The deliberately cheesy
early montage of Bale and Adams rise to prominence is a cheesy delight.
Some have argued that American
Hustle is all style and no substance, that to me is an unfair and quite
frankly inaccurate criticism to lay at this films feet. As it is a period
piece, it will naturally attract comments on how it looks and if that attention
to detail was at the expense of other parts of the film. With the characters it
certainly wasn’t a detriment to them. But as mentioned, the lack of plot hurts
the film and doesn’t leave you thinking about the film once the film has ended,
which The Fighter and Silver Linings Playbook did for me.
The easiest way for me to sum up this film is Scorsese
light, it definitely takes inspiration from Casino
and Goodfellas in particular, as far
as films to have as an influence, these two are arguably the best to take ideas
or visuals from.
Come awards time, I am sure we will see American Hustle
dominate in all categories, but it will be acting categories where its greatest
chance lies, in particular Christian Bale. Next to better-plotted films, such
as Captain Phillips, it will be
interesting to see how it fairs in the screenplay award, to see if the
preference is character or plot.
By no means a bad film, more a victim of its own hype.
