Jennifer Lawrence’s fingers smell rotten and delicious in this new clip from American Hustle

For those of you intrigued by the title of this story, get your minds out of the gutter. For everyone else, enjoy a brand new clip from David O. Russell‘s AMERICAN HUSTLE. With each new glimpse into the movie I am convinced that Russell is channeling late 1970s Martin Scorsese as he directed this tale of crime and corruption. This clip is yet another example of that.

The opening line of this clip, where Christian Bale misquotes Jesus to Jeremy Renner, is followed by dinner conversation about the topcoat on Jennifer Lawrence‘s fingernails. Now, in a lot of movies this scene would seem unfinished and random, but Russell is able to evoke a glimpse into these characters almost as if they were real. The back and forth feels natural, almost as if we are watching real people. That is also a credit to the cast as they look to be knocking this one out of the park.

What seems to be very surprising about AMERICAN HUSTLE is how funny it is. The clips and trailers so far have shown a lot of the humor in the film which makes me wonder if the dramatic moments are going to feel as real as these lighter scenes. Granted, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK did an excellent job of balancing funny and serious so David O. Russell should have no issue here.

AMERICAN HUSTLE starring Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, and Jennifer Lawrence opens on December 18, 2013.