American Hustle 4K Ultra HD SteelBook

In "American Hustle," the con is on when scam artists and lovers Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) and Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) are entrapped by ambitious FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper) and coerced into participating in a major sting operation which hinges on snaring politician Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner) and his associates. Complicating matters is Irving’s wife Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence), who could bring the whole operation crashing down around them all. (Gary Reber)

Special features include the featurette "The Making of American Hustle" (HD 15:35) nearly 15 minutes of additional never-before-seen deleted and extended scenes (HD 14:0), 11 deleted and extended scenes (HD 22:28), theatrical trailer, upfront previews and a Movies Anywhere digital copy.

The 2.39:1 2160p HEVC/H.265 4K Ultra HD Dolby Vision/HDR10 picture, reviewed on a VIZIO Quantum X P85QX-JI UHD/HDR display, was photographed in Techniscope using the Arricam LT and Arricam ST camera systema and sourced from a 4K Digital Intermediate. The picture exhibits a film-like appearance with excellent clarity. Light grain is never objectionable. The color palette is strongly saturated with solid hues that exhibit nuanced shadings. Colors pop throughout. Flesh tones generally are casted on the reddish hue spectrum. HDR contrast is well balanced with deep, solid black levels, revealing shadows and natural white levels. Resolution is excellent with fine detail exhibited in facial features, especially during closeups of skin pores, lines, makeup, hair and beards. Clothing fabrics reveal fine detail. Objects and the production design settings appear realistic and finely resolved. This is a wonderful visual production of an visually delightful con crime. (Gary Reber)

The repurposed Dolby Atmos/Dolby TrueHD 7.1-channel soundtrack is dynamic sounding with a realistic presence. Atmospherics and sound effects sound convincing, The orchestral and pop and jazz score are dynamic sounding and often forward sounding with a wide and deep soundstage that aggressively extends to the surrounds. During the scene at a disco club, the sound envelops the soundfield with a dynamic presence that transforms the soundfield into a dance club environment. Dialogue sounds well integrated spatially.

The Immersive Sound element is comprised of an extension of the music with segments of loud, forward sounding music such as the disco dance scene, and a sequence of dialogue between the two leading actresses and the mayor speaking at a reception and dialogue in the federal offices. There are also a couple of sequences of atmospherics and sound effects. Still, far more could have been achieved to enhance dimensionality.

This is a compelling holosonic® soundtrack that is compelling and well produced. (Gary Reber)