David O. Russell’s recent track record has made him a favorite with the Academy, as well as a household name. Audiences and critics have fawned praise on the director’s The Fighter and Silver Linings Playbook, which both have gone on to collect numerous year-end awards.
Will Russell find similar success with his next picture? He certainly has enough star power in his cast, and an intriguing premise from which to work. American Hustle stars Bradley Cooper, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence and Jeremy Renner. It tells a based-on-fact story about con artists recruited by the FBI for a sting operation meant to take down corrupt politicians. The first trailer for Hustle sells the film’s appeal. It aired this morning on ABC’s Good Morning America program.
The way Russell uses large chunks of a Led Zeppelin song (“Good Times, Bad Times” in this instance) calls to mind similar scenes in Fighter and Silver Linings. The director seems to have found a muse in the bad boys of crunchy ‘70s metal. And it fits the period visuals of this story, which casts Cooper as FBI agent Richie DiMaso as he lures a con team (Adams and Bale) into a scam that goes after our government. The clip above suggests Scorsese’s Goodfellas, but Russell is operating on his own wave at the moment, and I’m anxious to see whatever he chooses to do with American Hustle.
The second half of the above clip has Russell talking in depth to GMA about the film, revealing how character-driven American Hustle should be. He also describes the characters as having “big hearts,” which is intriguing. We’ll find out more on December 13, when the film screens everywhere.
What do you think of the first footage?
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