A con man, Irving Rosenfeld, along with his seductive partner Sydney Prosser, is forced to work for a wild F.B.I. Agent, Richie DiMaso, who pushes them into a world of Jersey powerbrokers and the Mafia.
A fictional film set in the alluring world of one of the most stunning scandals to rock our nation, American Hustle tells the story of brilliant con man Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale), who along with his equally cunning and seductive British partner Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) is forced to work for a wild FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper). DiMaso pushes them into a world of Jersey powerbrokers and mafia that's as dangerous as it is enchanting. Jeremy Renner is Carmine Polito, the passionate, volatile, New Jersey political operator caught between the con-artists and Feds. Irving's unpredictable wife Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence) could be the one to pull the thread that brings the entire world crashing down.Written by
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) is only very loosely based on real-life con man and convicted swindler Melvin Weinberg, whose story is told in the book "The Sting Man", co-written with Bob Greene. See more »
Goofs
When Irving reflects on his childhood with his father's glass business (1950s), the windows being shattered are made of safety/tempered glass (which crumbles into granular chunks). This type of glass was not in standard use until 1966 and when we flash forward to the '70s, Irving picks up a piece of broken glass that is not safety glass. See more »
Quotes
[first lines]
Richie DiMaso:
What are you doing, going behind my back? Telling people I'm screwing up this operation? I got you a suite at the fucking Plaza Hotel.
Irving Rosenfeld:
The shittiest suite at the Plaza Hotel.
See more »
Crazy Credits
There is no credit for Robert De Niro, but there is a credit for "Costumer to Mr. Tellegio". See more »
Alternate Versions
The leaked Academy Awards DVDSCR had the following differences.
A line of alternate dialogue in a voice over.
A few digitally altered shots.
The scene where Irving and his wife arguing has been trimmed.
The scene immediately following that scene with Irving in the car is shorter as well.
Straight, No Chaser
Written by Thelonious Monk
Performed by Thelonious Monk
Courtesy of Columbia Records
By arrangement with Sony Music Licensing See more »
I knew nothing about this film when we sat down in the cinema tonight to see it, so I had no expectations. But from the opening moments I found myself completely engaged by the acting, and interested in the characters straight away.
Christian Bale has not done much for me in recent years, but he was captivating in this, and in every single scene. His physical transformation into a slightly overweight conman with a bad comb-over was enhanced by his believable character portrayal, and I have renewed respect for him now as an actor that can be damn interesting to watch.
Bradley Cooper was brilliant, as was Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Jennifer Lawrence, and Louis C.K.. There wasn't a single person that didn't pull their weight, and it makes the film's more-than-2-hour-length fly by.
There's not much in the way of physical action...in fact, I can't think of anything any action at all really...but the drama of the film is so well handled that action simply isn't necessary. Even the comedic moments were handled superbly.
I'd love to criticise something, cos no film is perfect, but this is a tough one to find fault with...maybe I would have left out Lawrence's dance scene when she mimed to Live and Let Die, cos it felt slightly at odds with the rest of the film in my opinion, but that's being seriously harsh.
So, to sum up, if you want a movie with top acting, big stars, brilliant dialogue, no over-the-top action and a well thought out story (with some historical truth mixed in), then this one is for you.
Trust me, you won't be sorry!
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I knew nothing about this film when we sat down in the cinema tonight to see it, so I had no expectations. But from the opening moments I found myself completely engaged by the acting, and interested in the characters straight away.
Christian Bale has not done much for me in recent years, but he was captivating in this, and in every single scene. His physical transformation into a slightly overweight conman with a bad comb-over was enhanced by his believable character portrayal, and I have renewed respect for him now as an actor that can be damn interesting to watch.
Bradley Cooper was brilliant, as was Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Jennifer Lawrence, and Louis C.K.. There wasn't a single person that didn't pull their weight, and it makes the film's more-than-2-hour-length fly by.
There's not much in the way of physical action...in fact, I can't think of anything any action at all really...but the drama of the film is so well handled that action simply isn't necessary. Even the comedic moments were handled superbly.
I'd love to criticise something, cos no film is perfect, but this is a tough one to find fault with...maybe I would have left out Lawrence's dance scene when she mimed to Live and Let Die, cos it felt slightly at odds with the rest of the film in my opinion, but that's being seriously harsh.
So, to sum up, if you want a movie with top acting, big stars, brilliant dialogue, no over-the-top action and a well thought out story (with some historical truth mixed in), then this one is for you.
Trust me, you won't be sorry!