David O. Russell

Somewhat buried in this delightful film--marred only by the need for an explanation at the end--is the true story of a plot by big American business to overthrow Franklin Roosevelt. That this is an almost unknown event, and that big business has since come to totally control American government through smarter methods, is a tragedy. But back to the film. The three leads are marvelous. Bale's performance (I didn't even know who he was until the closing credits) has him sounding like Peter Falk. Robbie isn't a great actress, but she is stunningly beautiful and gives quite a good performance in a difficult role. Washington is simply great, as are the supporting cast, with Taylor-Joy and Malek making big impressions. (Taylor Swift's brief performance is also just fine.) The film's settings are flawless. It all goes on perhaps just a few minutes too long, but it is hard to find that much fault in something that, while drawing from history, is nevertheless very original. This is really old-fashioned filmmaking, proving that in the right hands (Russell's and his fine cast), a film can still be magic.… (more)