A Funny, Dirty “American Hustle”
By Skip Sheffield
Americans love to hate high-finance hustlers.
This holiday season we have not one but too comic crime
caper films about financial flim-flammery.
The first is aptly titled “American Hustle.” The original
title was even blunter.
The slick hustler of the title is the self-styled con man
Irving Rosenfeld, played by a scarcely recognizable Christian Bale. Bale put on
50 pounds of bloat and had his head shaved for a hilariously elaborate balding comb-over
and wig combo, which we see Irv meticulously create at the film’s beginning.
This sets the tone for more silly and outrageous scenes to follow.
Created by writer-director David O. Russell and Eric Warren
Singer, Irving Rosenfeld was based on a real-life character, who with his faux British, posh
partner Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams), merrily swindled investors in what led to
the government Abscam operation of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Unluckily
for Irving, a
dogged, ambitious FBI agent named Richie DiMaso got on the scent of their loan company
schemes and concocted a sting that caught Irving and Sydney red-handed. Even
more unluckily for Irving
is his marriage to the volatile, jealous Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence). Adams and
Lawrence are costumed in revealing, flashy 1970s outfits that make them look
like hookers. Perhaps that is the point.
DiMaso is played by Bradley Cooper in a ridiculous
tightly-curled perm evocative of 1970s excess. Richie is the kind of unorthodox
law enforcement man (he is fond of cocaine) who is almost as shady as the
crooks he chases.
Under Richie’s thumb, Irving and Sydney are forced to con
Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner), a sleazy but not really evil Mayor of rampantly
corrupt Camden, New Jersey. To ensnare Polito, Richie
coerces his Mexican FBI colleague (Michael Pena) to pose as a wealthy Arab
Sheik who has enough money to stake a casino all by himself. From there it gets
even more complicated and far-fetched as greedy politicians implicate
themselves in the Arab scam. The ultimate prize is elusive Miami mob boss Victor Tellegio, played in one
short scene by a man who does menace so well, Robert De Niro.
In short everyone is dirty in “American Hustle.” Some are
just dirtier than others. If you consider this film a camp left-handed salute
to Martin Scorsese, you may enjoy it as good dirty fun. Up next is Scorsese
himself directing “The Wolf of Wall Street.”
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