When I viewed this film I actually thought I was around 10 years old and Jimmy Carter was in the White House. It puts you right back in time - the clothes, music, language, everything feels like the late 70s. The plot is loosely based upon the 'Abscam Scandal' in which the FBI caught a bunch of Congressmen taking bribes from an undercover Arab sheikh. I vaguely remembering this being a big deal at the time, for a few days anyway.
The power in this film is the performances of the key actors. Irving Feldman (Christian Bale), who plays a very out of shape con man with a bad comb over, a gorgeous Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) who is the love interest of Irving and also an up-and-coming G man Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper). Irving also has to content with a high-strung unpredictable wife Rosalyn (Jennnifer Lawrence). These four actors put on a priceless performance in which their interactions and dialogue eventually overshadow the plot and makes the plot secondary. I just wanted to see them together as each scene brings new revelations and twists. David O Russell is at the truly at the top of his game with this film and like Scorsese he includes great music from the 70s, crisp editing, and an uncanny ability to suck you into the world of the film. There are great secondary characters too such as, Mayor Politto (Jeremy Renner) who instead of finding bombs in Iraq is "doing everything he can for the people of New Jeresy", Jack Huston and even Robert De Niro as a rich mafia dude. The only thing missing in this film is Marty Scorsese's name as director and Joe Pesce in polyester.
Heres the trailer:
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