“American Hustle” is the second movie to hit the silver screen in the newly founded series, which displays a picture once a month. Introduced by famed Rolling Stone critic Peter Travers, the movies are followed by a Q&A hosting cast and crew members from the film.
“The New York Film Critic Series came to us with this idea that they wanted a program for arthouses around the country. We had done similar models to this with screenings of TV series pilots [such as] ‘Rectify’ and ‘Low Winter Sun,’ what with the live broadcast and Q&A,” said Amy Beth Leber, Salt Lake Film Society associate director of operations and community programming. “Peter Travers took the model of Arthouse Convergence, an organization we’re a part of, to all the arthouses across the country.”
The plot of the film revolves around the real-life ABSCAM sting in the late 1970s when two expert con artists were forced to work with the FBI to arrest corrupt politicians.
Christian Bale is a marvelous actor. Here he plays Irving Rosenfeld, the chief con artist. Bale is one of the few actors who can truly lose himself in a character, both physically and emotionally. The striking amounts of physical change he goes through in each role leads me to sadly believe this can’t be good for his health, and he will likely not make it past 50. But Bale’s sacrifice and commitment to roles is never in vain. His performance as Irving becomes the moral center of the story, a turn that is a pleasant surprise.
Amy Adams and Bradley Cooper also provide solid performances. Adams plays the troubled yet seductive con artist and partner Sydney, and Cooper portrays Richie DiMaso, an overly ambitious young FBI detective. Jeremy Renner plays Carmine Polito, the mayor they are targeting, and gives a solidly sympathetic performance. Jennifer Lawrence is an absolute firecracker as Rosalyn Rosenfeld, but ultimately her manipulative character is designed for laughs over quality. Nonetheless, the sparse moments of true emotion and drama Lawrence elicts she completely nails.
While the acting in the film is certainly commendable, I can’t give the same praise to the rest of the film. David O. Russell brings the same energy he brought to past films such as “The Fighter” and “Silver Linings Playbook.” The problem for this picture is he focuses on style over substance. Bale’s character feels like the only character that is truly fleshed out. In addition, the film gets caught up in its own confusing plot for too long to really hold audience engagement. Essentially, it’s a film worth liking but not worth loving.
These film screenings are a wonderful addition to the Film Society’s ongoing roster of events. For $18, you don’t typically get a film worth seeing, as well as a live Q&A. This time the segment was with director David O. Russell. Due to the Sundance Film Festival, the January film won’t screen here, but the Tower Theatre will continue to participate in the series, and hopes to garner a larger audience as time goes on.