American Hustle, a tale of con men, the FBI and the mafia, has already made its mark on the awards season. Directed by David O. Russell and written by Russell and Eric Warren Singer, the film's plot is based on the Abscam scandal of the 1970s, an operation that targeted the trafficking of stolen property and public corruption. At the Golden Globes, the film won for Best Motion Picture, while actresses Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence took home the awards for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, respectively. In the same week, the film was nominated for a total of 10 Academy Awards. It seems that American Hustle is on its way to champion a competitive awards season, but does it deserve the acclaim?

In the beginning, the pacing of the film balances action with exposition. First, the audience is shown a small portion of a pivotal scene, but the film quickly jumps back in time, revealing more dimensions to each character and how the unlikely team of con man Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale), his sly and unpredictable partner Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) and FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper) assembled. Through the exposition, the audience learns that DiMaso caught Rosenfeld and Prosser cheating investors out of money. He allows them to avoid charges by forcing them to work with the law and unveil a number of other con artists.

DiMaso's determination slips into a dangerous obsession with infiltrating the mafia and eliminating their corrupt role in politics. He becomes compulsive, neurotic and violent as his team reluctantly proceeds with using Mayor Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner) as a route to the mob. By this point, the skeleton of the film is finally built and the audience circles back to the opening scene with a full understanding of the situation-unfortunately, this is where the film begins to falter.

Although Russell and Singer received nominations for directing and writing, their meticulous screenplay left me bored at times and confused at others. As the character's relationships become increasingly complicated, the writing drags. Small negotiations get drawn out while major conflict is rushed through, fights are repeated and it takes far too long for the conflict to culminate. This disrupted the pacing and arc of the film. As the plot unfolded, it became less engaging and I began to lose interest in the characters.

Luckily, the period and location of the film, New York and New Jersey in the 1970s, is rich in artistic and historical features. The sets and costumes were incredibly detailed. From comb overs and hair curlers to bell-bottoms and disco style, the designers of the feature were spot on. Even when the writing fell flat, the surroundings depicted a world to intrigue the audience. Although the shape of the film is flawed, Russell crafts incredibly captivating, funny and multi-dimensional characters. Even the minor characters, such as Irving's wife, Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence), and DiMaso's boss, Thorsen (Louis C.K.), are highlights. Each character is filled with complicated and honest motivations, even if their actions are not so sincere.

The film's most notable achievement, however, was not how well these characters were written, but how each actor approached and perfected his or her role. The entire cast was superb, especially Bale, who is as versatile as he is committed, and put on as much weight to play Rosenfeld as he lost for his Oscar-winning performance in The Fighter. Cooper, who has now received the Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor two years in a row, encapsulated solemnity and hilarity, creativity and absurdity. Even Robert DeNiro's appearance as mob boss Victor Tellegio was exciting. It was upsetting, however, to discover that Renner was snubbed from any award nominations. Even though his role was small, his performance was the most convincing of all. The entire cast of the film has already been recognized as the Best Ensemble Cast from lesser-known institutes such as Broadcast Film Critics Association and the Alliance of Women Film Journalists. The immense talent of the cast is reflected in their slew of nominations this award season.

American Hustle is the only film this year to secure nominations in all four of the acting categories: Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress. Although the actors' competitors are equally as talented, American Hustle presents skill sets on many fronts and may earn sweeping wins this award season.