[Blzer]

American Hustle

David O'Russell is taking American audiences by storm with his recent films, and he is really forming a good style that's instantly recognizable. Taking actors from both The Fighter and Silver Linings Playbook (minus Wahlberg, Leo, and Tucker), the cast ended up being super strong and took front stage in an okay plot. Though in the end, it kind of just felt like actors in 70s clothing. For me, that was completely fine because I was in it for that anyway, but if this movie was played again in fifteen years for our now ten-year-olds who might not know who any of these actors are, I'm not as sure they'll "get it" as much as we do, especially after seeing his previous two films.

Outside of that, it was a strong narrative and had some witty humor. I wouldn't say it had as much emotion as The Fighter or Silver Linings Playbook, and in the end I'd say it just wasn't as good of a movie as the other two, but with the throwback elements I think a lot of OS'ers will like this film. It had a great soundtrack and killer cinematography. I just wish he re-shot The Fighter again after having done two projects, because I think he would have added a bit more soul to it, especially in the boxing scenes.

I'd recommend this one.

EDIT: Don't let the upbeat trailers hype you up too much into thinking that's the pace of this film. It's slow-moving, and that's okay if you don't expect a lot of flash from it. This isn't Luhrmann's Gatsby.