| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| BaftaBaby |
Posted - 12/13/2013 : 20:21:01
David O Russell triumphantly proves yet again his ability to identify stunning screen actors, and trust them together to produce surprising performances - all of which beautifully contribute to the story. The fact that he also co-wrote that story assures that the leeway allowed to the actors is contained within the bounds of his vision.
Yes, it's a genre film, dabbling in similar streams to those from Damon Runyon/Joseph L. Mankiewicz, David Mamet, Cronenberg/DeLillo, with a taste of Scorsese and a whiff of Coens, which is to say intelligent. It's also wholly original.
Let's heap paeans on actors' heads. From a "was that really ..." cameo from an uncredited Di Niro, to the satellite supporting cast perfectly adorning the gem in the middle, the ensemble cast does no wrong.
All is perfectly judged and it must have been such a joy for these actors to be able to make such meticulous and unexpected choices moment by moment.
Russell has also gained their trust to let hair and make-up reveal the unsavoury nature of their characters. Outrageous hairstyles of the 1980s for both sexes reaching to the back-combed heights or curlicues of the just-risible; clothes that feel like a cross between sex-shop and cartoon-costume; home decor attempting and failing to copy the real-deal of ancient cultures. The characters hide their deceit and nastiness among such trappings.
For though we are engaged by them, let's face it, we'd have to think pretty hard before putting these guys and gals on the guest list for a party. Especially not the way we've witnessed them behave at one.
So, we've got a collection of Noo Joisey and Noo Yawk hustlers upping the ante on their street smarts, trying to parlay three-card-monte into breaking a bank at Monte Carlo [no, not literally!]. And we got local politicos, some actually good at heart, but inceasingly pawns drawn into a game they can never win. And we got local law enforcement - not the uniformed kind, but the bureaucrats who can authorize a million here, a million there to trap the bad guys.
So the hustle is all around, just as it's always been. And always will be given the structure of the unquestioned system. This is a by-product of so-called freedom. You win some, you lose some. Everything's relative.
I'm hearing the sound of awards scratching at the door. Let 'em in, please for Russell, for Christian Bale who just keeps getting better, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, and the remarkable Jennifer Lawrence. They will blow you away.
|
| 1 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| randall |
Posted - 01/20/2014 : 21:07:22
I rise to object. This movie is amusing but far from great. The acting is cartoonish [Jennifer Lawrence], flailing [Bradley Cooper], and repetitive [Bobby De Niro, whose uncredited cameo was probably intended as a surprise]. Only Christian Bale, with enough worked-through eccentricities to keep you watching; and Amy Adams, whose subtle Brit accent and complex coloring of two different romantic/erotic relationships is far and away the most nuanced performance in the picture, can actually hold their thespian heads high.
Like SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK, which I also find vastly overrated, this flick is a (130-minute!) divertissement masquerading as something more substantial. If I'd seen it with no baggage, I would probably have said, "hey, nice job." But in this environment in which it seems to be chugging forth to snag every award in sight, I'm sorry: it's a mild letdown. Sue me. |
|
|
