HUSTLERS (15)
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 seen the trailer could be forgiven for thinking it is another heist movie or run-of-the-mill comedy.
While it certainly has those elements, at its core Hustlers 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, it follows a group of New York City 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 lures her into a life of crime.
Former child star Keke Palmer and Riverdale’s Lili Reinhart take supporting roles while Cardi B’s muchpublicised involvement is in fact an all-too-brief cameo, though a typically colourful one.
Hustlers’ central narrative focuses on the relationship between the characters played by Lopez, 50, and Wu, 37.
Lopez showcases the many strings to her bow and is equally at home showing off her impressively toned body while dancing on a pole as she is having a heart-to-heart with the young women who look up to her.
Wu also puts in a strong performance, convincing as the hard-up mother prepared to go to extreme lengths to provide for her daughter.
The story is told through flashback, with Julia Stiles playing a journalist who interviews Dorothy about her past as a hustler.
Writer-director Lorene Scafaria, begins by framing the strippers as Robin Hood-type characters, robbing the undeservedly rich bankers of Wall Street.
However, viewers are forced to question the morality of the group when they start ripping off men who may not be so one-dimensional.
Having said that, we’re left with the feeling that, while these are women doing bad things, they’re not necessarily bad women.
Review by Keiran Southern.