2013 · 2h 18m · David O. Russell · Ranked #93 on Wuzzah.com
7.5 out of 10 · 2 ratings
A con man, Irving Rosenfeld, along with his seductive British partner, Sydney Prosser, is forced to work for a wild FBI agent, Richie DiMaso. DiMaso pushes them into a world of Jersey powerbrokers and mafia.
You just cannot con a con-man!
This is a brilliant movie, and I see why it was nominated for the Oscar for best movie. I do not think it will win it however.
Although the overall plot is rather simple, the road to get is tightly packed with twists and turn and at several points you doubt they will actually get there. Brilliant but complex stuff. You will have to be fully awake (or at least I had to) to keep track of everything that is happening with all the cons, double cons, double plays, triple plays etc. , but as it all starts unfolding you will be amazed of the thick trickery. Brilliant stuff.
The four prime characters are all nominated for an Oscar for their performance. I doubt that any of them will win, but if anyone does it must be Christian Bale. I am a big fan of him in general, but here he still manages to pull off a great performance. Bradley Cooper and Amy Adams delivers about average, and Jennifer Lawrence is also rather good actually.
Watch this with someone just as enthusiastic as you about cons and double play. This is good stuff.
