American Hustle

In the wake of the awards season American Hustle must be one of the most overly hyped up films out there. That's not to say this isn't a good film, it is, and it certainly makes for an enjoyable afternoon just don't expect too much.
The plot is simple enough, Bale plays life long con man Irving Rosenfeld still clutching onto dreams of success with his mistress and business partner Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) until one day they are caught out by rookie FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper). The duo hatch a deal with DiMaso and promise to help him entrap crooked politicians so that they can be pardoned.  Plain but acceptable enough plot if dressed as well as this film is, however as the tensions of the film gradually rise there is a building expectation that the film will deliver in a grand climax or twist that it never does. The tone is bitter sweet throughout, David O. Russell showing both the ugliness and beauty of his characters in an almost fearless way that most mainstream directors gloss over. Yet it is this saccharine tone throughout the telling of the story that will leave one unsatisfied.
Bale acts as a skilled backbone to the film, as the most seasoned of the main cast in his profession his dedication and ability to inhabit a role are undeniable. Despite being the protagonist Rosenfeld is a hard man to side with, weak in his convictions and proficient only in his experience of the con world with his 'from the feet up' approach. Rosenfeld's only saving grace being that of his love to his adopted son. Bale works with what he is given but it isn't an awful lot, his character's narrative somewhat overshadowed by the mysterious Sydney or the developing and open DiMaso. The chemistry of Adams and Bale is clear and Adams wears the the many facets of Sydney's character well but a poor English accent is one always hard to excuse. Adams' character irritates rather than leads, her motives in constant flux Sydney is hard to read making the strength of Adams' performance of considerable debate.
It is instead Jennifer Lawrence who sparkles on screen as Rosenfeld's neglected and ditsy wife. She is a loose canon adding tension to the plot and offering well needed comic relief to what would otherwise be a dry film. And to the kindly Mayor Carmine Polito played charmingly by Jeremy Renner, to whom sympathies ultimately fall, being one of few with pure intentions.
This is a film that on the surface may appear to be more than what it is, while it is a great portrayal of skill and has the ability to entertain,  it fails to reach the heights it could have by establishing a tone neither dark and dramatic nor more comedic and exciting. So, like the unreadable character of Sydney Prosser, American Hustle is overall irresolute in its intentions failing reward the audience with any sense of fulfilment. Then again perhaps this was the intention, after all kids crime does not pay and neither will I to see this film again.