I hadn't even seen the trailer for this film, only the fabulous posters that are all around the tube stations at the moment. The hair, costume and amazing cast were enough to draw me in.
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| Image taken from here |
The story is set in 1978 and we begin with a caption telling us this story is 'mostly true'. My knowledge on America in the 70's is very limited so I'll leave you to figure out which bits are mostly true. We follow conmen Irving and Sydney (Christian Bale and Amy Adams) who have cut a deal with FBI agent Richie (Bradley Cooper) to bring in other conmen in return for clemency for their crimes, It is an absolutely stellar cast and for me Amy Adams can do no wrong; from her first entrance, until the last scene she is completely mesmerising. Sydney is playing the long game, trying to find a way out of the circumstance she finds herself in and because of this, despite it being an ensemble cast, she is the one I felt held the story and different characters together. Actress of our time Jennifer Lawrence has a brilliant time playing Rosalyn, Irving's high maintenance and slightly unstable wife. However I most enjoyed Jeremy Renner's performance of Mayor Polito, a honest yet driven by circumstance corrupt politician. Or maybe I was just distracted by the quiff. I feel I can't talk about this film without more than a passing mention to the hair and costume. The film has an air of extravagance which the sets and costumes more than contribute to. Are they all conmen hiding their true colours behind layers of hairspray and curling tongs? If you want to see Bradley Cooper in a perm and Bale with a comb over this film is for you.
It is a hard film to define; is it a comedy or a thriller or a crime movie? In all honesty it's a little bit of each. At times it can be a little hard to keep up with, as the con becomes bigger and more extravagant but it is worth staying with for the outstanding performances from the whole cast. I give it 4/5. A great start for my film review section!
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