It’s the late ‘70s, and Irving Rosenfield (Bale) is a small-time hustler running banking scams on the desperate. But a chance meeting with Sydney Prosser (Adams) sees him increasing the scale of his scams, and having a passionate affair at the same time. When busted by FBI agent Richie DiMasso (Cooper), the two of them are offered a deal – assisting the FBI in capturing other criminals to avoid prosecution. The complications arise when romantic sparks fly between Richie and Sydney, plus Irving’s wife Rosalyn (Lawrence) shows up with her own complications that endanger everything.

David O. Russell’s career is basically made up of two halves – his early films were independently minded films with a very distinctive personal view on the world (Spanking the Monkey, I Heart Huckabees, Three Kings), while his last three films (The Fighter, Silver Linings Playbook and this) have told more conventional stories, but presented with flair and style. American Hustle tells a pretty familiar story of con-men and their scams, though the single largest impediment to the scheme’s success is the character’s individual dissatisfactions rather than any external nemesis. Chock full of ’70s style (the hair alone is worthy of a watch), this is an entertaining look at the seedier side of life.