History Film / AmericanHustle

The plot revolves around Irving Rosenfeld (Bale), a brilliant small-time con-artist who, with his lover Sydney Presser (Adams) posing as a well-connected British aristocrat, runs a successful fraudulent loans operation out of a chain of dry-cleaners. The good times are brought to a rapid halt, however, when they're busted by ambitious FBI agent Rick [=DiMaso=] (Cooper), who uses the threat of jail time to force them into working for him as part of a sting operation to expose local corruption in New Jersey, beginning with Carmine Polito (Renner), the idealistic mayor of Camden. [=DiMaso=] soon sets his sights on higher targets, however, and there's also Rosenfeld's highly unstable wife Rosalyn (Lawrence), whose suspicions about her husband's extra-marital activities put everyone at risk.

* ActorAllusion: Shea Whigam and Jack Huston involved in crime in Atlantic City? Not surprising.

* AbsoluteCleavage: Adams is dressed like this in multiple scenes.

** Five if you count The Avengers, and Guardians of the Galaxy separately.
* AmericanTitle--subversive variety, given that the central characters are crooks and the plot involves ABSCAM.

* {{Dramatization}}: The film is based on the real life [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abscam ABSCAM]] FBI operation and the participation of con artist, Mel Weinberg (the man based from Bale's character in the film), in the operation.

* MoralEventHorizon: [[spoiler: Richie crosses it by almost raping Sydney.]]

* AmericanTitle

A 2013 feature film directed by DavidORussell and starring Creator/ChristianBale, Creator/AmyAdams, Bradley Cooper, Creator/JeremyRenner and Creator/JenniferLawrence. It's loosely based on the real life "Abscam" operation run by the FBI in the late 1970s and early 1980s, although the film openly acknowledges that it's heavily fictionalised.

A 2013 feature film directed by DavidORussell and starring ChristianBale, AmyAdams, Bradley Cooper, JeremyRenner and JenniferLawrence. It's loosely based on the real life "Abscam" operation run by the FBI in the late 1970s and early 1980s, although the film openly acknowledges that it's heavily fictionalised.

** Even the mobsters are shown to be AffablyEvil at most - their boss, Victor Tillegi, is shown to be a shrewd and reasonable, if intimidating, businessman, and his enforcer Pete Musane seems to genuinely care for Rosalyn.

The plot revolves around Irving Rosenfeld (Bale), a brilliant small-time con-artist who, with his lover Sydney Presser (Adams) posing as a well-connected British aristocrat, runs a successful fraudulent loans operation out of a chain of dry-cleaners. The good times are brought to a rapid halt, however, when they're busted by ambitious FBI agent Rick [=DiMaso=] (Cooper), who uses the threat of jail time to force them into working for him as part of a sting operation to expose local corruption in New Jersey, beginning with Carmine Polito (Renner), the idealistic mayor of Camden. [=DiMaso=] soon sets his sights on higher targets, however, and there's also Rosenfeld's highly unstable wife Rosalyn (Lawrence), who's suspicions about her husband's extra-marital activities put everyone at risk.

** Ben Affleck was also signed onto direct.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Originally, the title of this film is ''American [[PrecisionFStrike Bullshit]]''. Though that would end up as a CensoredTitle.

A 2013 feature film directed by DavidORussell and starring Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Renner and Jennifer Lawrence. It's loosely based on the real life "Abscam" operation run by the FBI in the late 1970s and early 1980s, although the film openly acknowledges that it's heavily fictionalised.

* SureLetsGoWithThat: After almost blowing the entire operation and getting Irving killed, Rosalyn justifies her interference with some [[InsaneTrollLogic convoluted and self-justifying nonsense]] about "the power of inspiration" and reasons that Irving's idea to get them out of this mess was, therefore, somehow ''her'' idea. By this point, having shouted at her long enough and utterly exasperated and bewildered, Irving just gives up and meekly goes along with it.

* GreyAndGreyMorality: A theme of the movie is that there are no clear-cut heroes or villains. The con-artists, although they make a living scamming the desperate, are genuinely in love with each other and ultimately try their hardest to remain faithful to each other. The corrupt politician is genuinely idealistic and altruistic and reasons that his corrupt activities are his best way of improving the lives of the people he represents. And the FBI agent is violently unstable, hot-headed and, it's heavily implied, is addicted to cocaine.

* GreyAndGreyMorality: A theme of the movie is that there are no clear-cut heroes or villains. The con-artists, although they make a living scamming the desperate, are genuinely in love with each other and ultimately try their hardest to remain faithful to each other. The corrupt politician is genuinely idealistic and altruistic and reasons that his corrupt activities are his best way of improving the lives of the people he represents. And the FBI agent is violently unstable, hot-headed and, it's heavily implied, is addicted to cocaine.