‘This city, this whole country, is a strip club...’
When that awful Hollywood trend of remaking classics movies but with the genders swapped reared its grotesque head, I opined that whilst gearing more films around women was vital if cinema was to survive, this should be centered around exciting, new material and not an insulting rehash of an already beloved property. Well, Hustlers is a shining example of exactly what I was talking about…
Ramone (Jennifer Lopez) and her protégé Destiny (Constance Wu) lead a group of strippers in a continuous sting operation that sees them relieve various Wall Street assholes of their money. After the fact, roving reporter Elizabeth (Julie Stiles) attempts to get to the bottom of it all.
I should start by saying this is not an original film. If you’ve seen any crime film in the vein of Goodfellas then you’ve seen Hustlers. It has the origin story, the come up and the inevitable crash. The beauty of all these films is always the journey – not the destination. Here, a rejuvenated Lopez combines with an on song Wu to create a compelling double act to rival anything in those classic gangster movies. While Cardi B and Lizzo add an element of fun to the supporting cast, there isn’t enough outside of the main players to sustain a movie this derivative for almost two hours.
Having said that, the first half of Hustlers is genuinely great and poses some interesting questions about strip clubs and exploitation generally. It is also genuinely refreshing to see this kind of movie featuring an all female cast. This is not just box ticking, rather it adds an element of intrigue to an already fascinating (true) story. Things do unravel slightly in the third act, but the strong cast and some smart direction from Lorene Scafaria help to get Hustlers over the line.
The crime genre has become saturated in recent years but Hustlers has enough attitude and bombast to stand out. Worth a watch.