“Some of this actually happened…”

American Hustle starts with a masterpiece of hair arrangement. We meet small-time con-man Irving Rosenfeld as the camera sweeps up from the floor (“from the feet up”, a phrase repeated throughout), introducing us to a rather portly, balding Christian Bale. Oh my God – look at Christan Bale! He's all fat. And what a magnificent construction of hair he has.

That's not to detract from the quality of the film, but it took me a minute to get over the state of The Dark Knight.

Having purposely not read much about American Hustle, reviews, plot or otherwise, I wasn't sure what to expect from it. And was pleasantly surprised, once I got into the rhythm of the film. The camerawork and editing provides a sense of the era, combined with the hair, costumes and cheesy music.

Brilliant dramatic performances from all, underscored by a spectacular late-70s soundtrack (Jennifer Lawrence's Rosalyn Rosenfeld singing along to “Live and Let Die” was a favourite moment of mine) and peppered with moments of pure comedy, it's clear why this film has gathered a plethora of awards and nominations.

Christian Bale isn't all about the hair/weight-gain. He gives a brilliantly understated performance as the con-man with a heart. Couple that with Amy Adams' beautiful Sydney Prosser and add a touch of Bradley Cooper's tightly-curled, slightly manic FBI agent Richie DiMaso and we've got the beginnings of an ensemble cast that Robert Altman would be proud of. Finish that off with the constantly brilliant Jennifer Lawrence and a be-quiffed Jeremy Renner and it's no wonder they've swiped the Screen Actors Guild “Best Cast” award.

It's an enjoyable film, where, to be honest, not a massive amount happens, but the script and star performances are just about able to justify the 137 minute running time… but only just!