(15, 110 mins)

Depending on how much of the promotional material you may have seen, Hustlers could be a very different beast from the film you were expecting.

Anyone who had watched the trailer could be forgiven for thinking it is a just another heist movie or run-of-the-mill comedy.

While Hustlers certainly has those elements, at its core it is a story about female friendships and what is permissible for women to do to get ahead in a man’s world.

Loosely based on a true story, Hustlers follows a group of New York strippers who resort to ripping off their clients after falling on hard times in the wake of the 2008 financial crash.

The film boasts a star-studded cast, with Crazy Rich Asians actress Constance Wu playing struggling single mother Dorothy, who strips under the name Destiny.

Jennifer Lopez steals the show as veteran dancer Ramona Vega, who takes Destiny under her wing and eventually lures her into a life of crime.

Cardi B’s much-publicised involvement is an all-too-brief cameo, though a colourful one.

The story is told through flashback, with Julia Stiles starring as a journalist interviewing Wu about her past as a hustler.

Director Lorene Scafaria frames the strippers as Robin Hood-type characters, robbing the rich bankers of Wall Street. However, viewers are forced to question their morality when they start ripping off men who may not be so one-dimensional.

Having said that, the viewer is left with the feeling that, while these are women doing bad things, they’re not necessarily bad women.

Keiran Southern