As intricate as it is hilarious, American Hustle features tremendous performances, an engaging story and fantastic direction making it an easy front runner for best film of the year.

Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) is a con man who runs a simple scam and keeps things tight. He has several legit businesses for cover and laundering and things are going his way. They get even better when he meets Sydney (Amy Adams) a woman who sweeps him off his feet and falls into the con with him. He doesn’t mention this to his wife (Jennifer Lawrence) of course, but for the most part everything goes along just fine until Irving and Sydney run afoul of Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper), an FBI agent who arrests Sydney in the act. In order to stay out of jail, Irving and Sydney have to agree to help the FBI catch five bigger fish but Richie’s appetite keeps getting bigger and before long they are running cons on political figures like Mayor Carmine Politio (Jeremy Renner) and even organized crime heavies. The mix is volatile and the stakes are enormously high and Irving has to find a way out that doesn’t land him in jail or tear his life to shreds.

American Hustle has a lot of moving parts and still manages to clip along at a quick pace thanks to a strong script and sure handed direction from David O Russell, a man who is becoming one of the most reliable directors working. This represents the next in a steady line of fantastic movies and if this is any indication he is in no danger of slowing down. With the number twists and turns and occasional out of sequence time jumps, American Hustle could have been an unwatchable mess in lesser hands but Russell keeps it all going steady and keeps it from devolving into confusing nonsense.

The writing is equally snappy and on point with crisp and often funny dialogue and engaging twists and turns. Rooted in its time period without being overwhelmed by it, American Hustle threads the character of the 70’s into the over all piece making it feel right at home as opposed to a gimmick.

As serious as the film can get at times, and it does, it is also very, very funny. The balance between comedy and drama is off kilter and varies wildly from section to section. This could be jarring to some viewers but really it mirrors the ebb and flow of the con as well as the swinging loyalties and circumstance in the film. It is not a clean and simple con and that is the point for Irving as he struggles to keep control of a situation that is like an out of control fire hose, particularly when his wife involves herself more in the proceedings. It is at turns laugh out loud funny and bitterly depressing all within moments of each other and sometimes within the same scene.

As good as the direction and writing is here the performances are what really make it all work. This is absolutely one of Christian Bale’s best performances, which is saying something as he has turned in a lot of great ones. He is not afraid to look absurd or to be awkward and in doing so brings the easy comfort necessary to be the sort of con man that he is. The tension that builds, a slow burn that intensifies as things get worse and worse is palpable and he delivers it with perfect confidence.

Amy Adams holds up her end of the deal just as well with a performance on top of a performance such that it is easy to forget who the character really is…an issue the character herself seems to have as well. The conflict she brings between her love for Irving and her hate for Irving coupled with feelings that may or may not be a con for DiMaso make her very complicated even when she is not concentrating on double and triple cons. That she maintains steady ballast during the film and is in full command of the performance just reinforces here skills as an actor.

Bradley Cooper once again demonstrates his skill with a character who is ambitious and driven such that he is unhinged and unscrupulous. He desperately wants to be in control and is constantly off balance. Like Bale, Cooper is unafraid to look ridiculous and he commits 100% to the role. I am partial to other performances of his but this one is excellent and shows that he is a masterful performer.

Jennifer Lawrence has a smaller role here than the three principles but she makes her presence felt with another terrific performance. Her character is funny and absolutely nuts and while she made me personally uncomfortable due to her reminding me of the behavior of some exes of mine, it was a testament to how good she was at it. It is jarring to see her in the Hunger Games, where she is also terrific, and then see her here in a part that is so different it is weird to mention them in the same sentence. That is what actors do, of course, but it is a fairly profound difference and further shows the extent of her greatness.

The rest of the cast is equally excellent with very effective turns by Jeremy Renner and Michael Pena. The real standout from the rest of the cast, however, is Louie CK. His performance is understated and perfectly delivered. I was surprised to see him in the cast and delighted by the performance.

Conclusion [10 out of 10]

American Hustle is probably the best ensemble film of the year with an insanely wonderful cast who are firing on all cylinders. The swings between comedy and drama might be unsettling but the characters are worth investment and it is much more about how they navigate the sticky situations than the situations themselves. This is a good example of putting interesting characters in interesting situations and watching what happens as opposed to being slavish over plot. Even if you aren’t engaged in the story, I would have a hard time imagining the viewer not being invested in the characters. Definitely worth a look.