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American Hustle (2013)

Trailer
2:29 | Trailer
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.

Director:

David O. Russell
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Popularity
511 ( 222)
Nominated for 10 Oscars. Another 70 wins & 216 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Christian Bale ... Irving Rosenfeld
Bradley Cooper ... Richie DiMaso
Amy Adams ... Sydney Prosser
Jeremy Renner ... Mayor Carmine Polito
Jennifer Lawrence ... Rosalyn Rosenfeld
Louis C.K. ... Stoddard Thorsen
Jack Huston ... Pete Musane
Michael Peña ... Paco Hernandez / Sheik Abdullah
Shea Whigham ... Carl Elway
Alessandro Nivola ... Anthony Amado
Elisabeth Röhm ... Dolly Polito (as Elisabeth Rohm)
Paul Herman ... Alfonse Simone
Saïd Taghmaoui ... Irv's Sheik Plant (as Said Taghmaoui)
Matthew Russell Matthew Russell ... Dominic Polito
Thomas Matthews ... Francis Polito
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Storyline

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

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

Everyone Hustles To Survive

Genres:

Crime | Drama

Certificate:

14A | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Danny Rosenfeld (Danny Corbo and Sonny Corbo) is very loosely based on J.R. Weinberg, the real-life son of Melvin (Irving) and Cynthia Marie Weinberg (Rosalyn). Unlike the juvenile Danny, J.R. Weinberg was sixteen years old at the end of Abscam. 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

An opening title card states, "Some of this actually happened." 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.
See more »

Connections

Referenced in Kickin' It: Seaford Hustle (2014) See more »

Soundtracks

La chatte à la Satie
Written by Piero Piccioni (as Gian Piero Piccioni)
Performed by Piero Piccioni
Courtesy of IDM Music Ltd.
On behalf of Bixio Music Group
See more »

User Reviews

 
Excellent, and refreshingly so
24 December 2013 | by go_titansSee all my reviews

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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Frequently Asked Questions

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Arabic

Release Date:

20 December 2013 (Canada) See more »

Also Known As:

Arnaque américaine See more »

Filming Locations:

Boston, Massachusetts, USA See more »

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Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$740,455, 15 December 2013

Gross USA:

$150,117,807

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$251,171,807
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Color:

Color | Black and White (surveillance footage)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1
See full technical specs »

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