Do the Hustle

There once was a con man who helped bring down several American congressmen.

No, really.

And a film with such an impressive cast, it was difficult to keep straight who was playing who in the months leading up to its release.

It’s David O. Russell’s American Hustle.

The upcoming Christmastime title – Awards Bait Alert! – tells the story of a criminal con artist (Christian Bale) who was turned by the FBI agent who captured him (Bradley Cooper) into an asset in the real-life late-’70s-early-’80s rogue operation (known as Abscam) that sought to bring down a volatile New Jersey mayor but ended up exposing a much-farther-reaching corruption.

Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, Jeremy Renner, and Robert De Niro co-star – and look groovy in the period piece.

Do not miss this one. We will be talking about well into next awards season.

Photo: Slate.com.