10 Crime Films Based On Real Events
9. American Hustle Shows The FBI's Abscam Operation
In American Hustle, David O’Russell turned the story of two con artists in their FBI Abscam operation into a black comedy that was met pretty positively by critics. The film, set between the late 1970s and early 1980s, centres around Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) as the sexy hustler using her looks and penchant for British impersonations to sucker people into fake banking contracts. Her partner Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) is portrayed as the ugly, and often sleazy con artist stuck in a bad relationship and with a mind somewhere between criminal mastermind and downright idiot.
The two of them (and with a backing cast featuring Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Jeremy Renner) go on a comedic journey skirting the fine line close to the FBI, full of mobster action at times, disorientation and all the signs that something bad is going to happen.
While the film is very closely linked to the real events, names have been changed and O’Russell is keen to note that it is a work of fiction once the closing credits draw in. Despite this, the FBI Abscam scheme is a very real event that happened within the FBI and the film escalates it effectively.