- Starring
- Constance Wu, Jennifer Lopez, Julia Stiles
- Writer
- Lorene Scafaria
- Director
- Lorene Scafaria
- Rating
- 14A (Canada), R (United States)
- Running Time
- 109 minutes
- Release Date
- September 13th, 2019
Overall Score
Rating Summary
This will be one of many reviews during this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, to keep up with our latest coverage, click here.
There’s so much that could lead one to believe that Hustlers probably won’t be the best movie – the iffy September release date, the subject matter, the flux of music stars acting for the first time as well as the extended review embargo tagged onto the film. However, it is with great pleasure to reveal that this was not only a massive surprise, not only one of the best films of this year’s festival, but one of the most satisfying and entertaining films of the year.
There’s so much to talk about with Hustlers and so little writing space here, but right off Scafaria is really on top of things here. Her direction really takes this film on a unique path that was unexpected – the way she brings together her actors, fast paced dialogue and editing and her neon bathed aesthetic is quite impressive, making the film that much more captivating. On their own, these aspects manage to thrive as well. The entire ensemble in front of the camera is fantastic, with no certain actor standing out amongst the others. Each of these super talented performers bring something unique to their characters that really allows you to connect to them.
Everything behind the scenes in Hustlers is tight as well. The editing in particular is what makes this really stand out – it feels like a Scorsese film, but in the best possible way without being a rip-off. It has a lot of what made his films great – an immersive aesthetic, captivating narration and dialogue as well as a rapid fire pace that lets the audience have a helluva lot of fun.
Hustlers is a film that deserves your attention, and one that’ll definitely be a top contender in the Grolsch audience award race. Even if this doesn’t seem like it’s for you, it’ll be a blast.
*still courtesy of Elevation Pictures*
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