David O. Russell, riding high on his back to back hits THE FIGHTER and SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK, looks to replicate that success by bringing back most of his cast from those two movies. Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, and Jeremy Renner will all star in the previously titled AMERICAN BULLSHIT. The movie has been filming in Boston and recently announced a release date this Christmas, just in time for the next Oscars.
Here’s a synopsis of the film:
Set in the 1970s and following an FBI sting operation, Eric Warren Singer‘s script circles around the true story of a notorious financial con artist (Bale) and his mistress/partner in crime (Adams), who were forced to work with an out of control federal agent (Cooper) to turn the tables on other con artists, mobsters, and politicians. At the epicenter of the entire tale, is the passionate and volatile leader of the New Jersey state assembly (Renner) who is also the local hero and mayor of impoverished Camden. The first images from the set feature a wide range of hairstyles, with Bale going bald, Renner going wild and Cooper using hair rollers. There’s not much to glean yet, but one can see the images below for this highly-anticipated end-of-year release.
These first behind the scenes shots show our stars firmly in retro hairstyles. The image of Christian Bale with a receding hairline instantly reminded me of Sean Penn in CARLITO’S WAY, while hopefully not quite as over the top. Bradley Cooper‘s rollers just makes me shake my head. Amy Adams looks like a witch in those first images and the second batch with a pompadour sporting Jeremy Renner look like deleted scenes from THE FIGHTER.
Russell has gained some leeway from me after SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK, so I will give this project a chance until I see some footage. Hopefully we get some soon. The untitled drama also stars Louis C.K., Dawn Olivieri and Thomas Matthews. it opens everywhere on December 13, 2013.