The Great American Con: "American Hustle"

It's not a black and white world; it's all grey.  So says Irving Rosenfeld, the somewhat real-life character played by Christian Bale in the 1970s era "American Hustle."  It's a movie full of colorful suits, long Cadillacs, glitzy disco balls, and a soundtrack you've heard a million times.  Did I mention this takes place in the 70s?  I wasn't as impressed as apparently I should be.  Maybe because I've already seen countless versions of the same movie, and this one offers no new surprises.  For a movie about con-artists, you'd expect the trickery to be more grand - it's not.

Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Jenifer Lawrence

Sure, it's a slick film filled with great actors, clearly having a blast.  I'm sure it was fun to make, but like some of the more famous music of the era, it left me a bit empty.  The story is based on the real Abscam Scandal, where FBI agents worked with a notorious con artist to trap corrupt politicians.  The movie focuses on the triangle between the top con artist (Bale's Rosenfeld), his lover/partner (Amy Adams), and the eager-beaver FBI agent (Bradley Cooper).  The movie tries to blur the lines between who's playing who, but to me it was never in doubt.  Along the way we meet Rosenfeld's wife (Jennifer Lawrence overdoing it with a shifting accent), and the good guy politician (Jeremy Renner, at his earnest New Jersey Italian best). 

After a fast-paced introductory 30 minutes where it creatively introduces Bale, Adams and the glory days of 1970s con-artistry, the movie gets severely bogged down with a hefty middle where the plot grows complicated, yet never too complex.  The set-ups are numerous, but the payoffs never really land.  I kept waiting for bigger reveals that never came, and as a result the movie simply glides along - one long steadicam set to Donna Summer.

As I've said, audiences have seen it all before - and better.  Here's a good holiday party game:  name all the 1970s era movies where marginalized outsiders fight/cheat/bend-the-rules to achieve their version of the American dream.  Then rent those flicks and have a much better time.

"American Hustle" is, however, a bit more realistic than the other similar movies.  It's not about mob killings, pornstars, or drug kingpins - it's about characters who are everyday dreamers that we all know.  The problem is that the realism doesn't make it more cinematically enjoyable.  Aside from the always excellent Christian Bale and Amy Adams, the rest of the cast struggle to animate these thin characters.  

The movie is hurt by the attempts to be more psychological than it's predecessors.  It touches on so many characters' lives that it never probes deep enough into any single one of them.  By trying to maintain a certain level of con, the filmmakers withhold information that would otherwise prove more insightful.  It all, therefore, feels a bit slight.


And who's the real villain here?  The FBI?  The politicians who barely appear?  The movie never really takes a stand.  A subplot revolves around the revitalization of Atlantic City, which is an intriguing prospect.  Think "Casino" or "Bugsy" on the east coast, or even a more contemporary "Boardwalk Empire."  But yet again this point is not further developed.  Audiences are left wondering what happened to those casinos at that time.  I realize that's not precisely what this movie is about, but why spend so much time with Jeremy Renner's crusading mayor and his dream?

Costume Display from Arclight Theater, Hollywood

Ultimately, it's the characters' inner demons that may (or may not) bring them down, yet those themes make better novels than movies.  Apparently the temptations of Elton John and aviator sunglasses are too great to not render it all once again into a feature film.  A great one?  No, but it sure made a great trailer.