Rating: 2½ / 5
Loosely based on the actual FBI operation "Abscam", David O. Russell's latest work is packed with quite talented actors. Christian Bale does well as the lead con artist, and Amy Adams pairs well with him as a slightly crazier con artist. Bradley Cooper was enjoyable as the eager but overzealous FBI agent, and Jennifer Lawrence looked like she had fun playing the manic depressive housewife of Christian Bale. Jeremy Renner is once again underrated as the well-intentioned but gullible mayor of Camden, New Jersey. Renner's character is the only one I found myself genuinely interested in, as the others were rather unlikable. Louis C.K. plays Bradley Cooper's fun-hating boss, and while he's initially seen as a dud, it later becomes clear he might be the only sane person in the movie. The real problem with this film is that the actors did their jobs really well, but the rest of the movie just lets them down. David O. Russell puts out a performance closer to the bizarre "I Heart Huckabees" than the successful "Silver Linings Playbook". The message of the movie is supposed to be "Everyone Hustles to Survive", but all we really see are three idiots, the mayor they took advantage of, and an unstable housewife. I don't know why this movie had to be made, that is, I don't know why this story needed to be told. All in all, the acting was solid, but the story and the direction were subpar.
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