Script Analysis: “American Hustle” — Scene By Scene Breakdown

Here is my take on this exercise from a previous series of posts — How To Read A Screenplay:

After a first pass, it’s time to crack open the script for a deeper analysis and you can do that by creating a scene-by-scene breakdown. It is precisely what it sounds like: A list of all the scenes in the script accompanied by a brief description of the events that transpire.

For purposes of this exercise, I have a slightly different take on scene. Here I am looking not just for individual scenes per se, but a scene or set of scenes that comprise one event or a continuous piece of action. Admittedly this is subjective and there is no right or wrong, the point is simply to break down the script into a series of parts which you then can use dig into the script’s structure and themes.

The value of this exercise:

• We pare down the story to its most constituent parts: Scenes.
• By doing this, we consciously explore the structure of the narrative.
• A scene-by-scene breakdown creates a foundation for even deeper analysis of the story.

Today: American Hustle (2013). You may read the script here.

Written by Eric Warren Singer, David O. Russell

IMDb Plot Summary: A con man, Irving Rosenfeld, along with his seductive partner Sydney Prosser, is forced to work for a wild FBI agent, Richie DiMaso, who pushes them into a world of Jersey powerbrokers and mafia.

American Hustle
Scene By Scene Breakdown
By Jon Raymond
GoIntoTheStory.com

P. 1–4: Irving Rosenfeld takes extreme care to fix his comb-over. He finally walks out to meet Edith Greensley (aka Sydney Prosser) in another room. There is a deep emotional relationship between them . Richie Dimaso bursts into the room, breaking the silence. Argument ensues and we see a love triangle situation unfold.

p.4–7: The three walk into another room of the hotel suite where they meet Carmine Polito and Carl Elway, waiting for them. There is an argument over a suitcase that Richie slides to Carmine, which Carmine refuses, suspecting an entrapment, and leaves. Richie insists that Irving go after him.

P.7–8: We see young Irving and his mother and father outside their glass business. Irving talks about growing and learning to be a con as we watch him smash windows to drum up business for his father’s business. We see him older at his own glass business and again in a room of art as he describes selling stolen or fake art.

P.9–10: Irving first meets Sydney (before she becomes Edith) at a pool party, where they discover mutual interests in Duke Ellington, and hit it off. They steal away and listen to Jeep’s Blues. As they check each other out we hear them talk about each other’s past. She says how she likes his confidence despite his elaborate comb over and his lack of being in great shape.

p.11–12: Sydney and Irving talk about her past as a stripper and later at Cosmo Magazine as an intern, and how they both had big dreams.

p.13–14: Back to the pool party where Irving and Sydney dance and fall in love. He shows her around town to his dry cleaning chain. She tries on some clothes left behind, which are very high end, low cut fashionable dresses. They become even more intimate and close.

p. 15–18: Irving shows her his main office and reveals he has a loan grifting business. At first she walks out and he is devastated. To his delightful surprise, she comes back in as the character of Lady Edith Greensley, with London Banking connections and agrees to partner with him.

p. 19–22: The two of them embark on a business and love relationship, which prospers. They move into better digs and celebrate their new success.

p.23: They dance down Park Avenue and into the Pierre Hotel to “I’ve got your number”. They make love. He then leaves her to go home to his wife and young son Danny.

p. 24–27: Danny tells him about how mommy had a fire with a sunlamp. Roselyn, Irving’s wife, defends herself to him, complaining he’s never home. He reveals in voice over that he married her and took in her son, in her time of need. He also reveals that she “had him” like the best con had any mark. He attempts to protest they are not happy. She renounces the idea of divorce. We see him seduced by her.

p. 28–31: We meet Richie Dimaso (posing as Mort Papierman) as one of their marks. She reveals she kind of likes Richie, and Irving gets jealous. He is also suspicious of taking Mort’s money. Edith takes his check and FBI guys bust in to arrest her. Richie reveals he is an agent.

p. 32- 33: At FBI holding Edith is in a cell, still in her high end dress, for three days. Richie finally appears and wins her confidence by questioning Irving’s sincerity and the fact he has a wife and child. This gets to her.

p. 33–35: Irv shows up at the holding cell where Richie forces him to accept a job to entrap other cons, or face jail time.

p. 35–38: At Sydney’s upscale apartment she begs him to run off with him. But he won’t leave for fear of losing child custody, even after she suggests they take Danny with them. She breaks gown in a panic and decides she will go after Richie and win his confidence to get them both out of this. She reveals she may even like Richie and that she’s pissed at Irving.

p. 38–41: The three meet at an art gallery where Irving introduces a sheik (Al from Queens). Irving explains the con game to Richie, that they must offer up the sheik as an investor for other cons to go after with fake CDs. Irving reveals his friend Carl Elway as a potential mark. They meet Elway’s acquaintance who has been following them, playing into the plan.

p. 42–44: At Carls office, Irving tries to tell him “no” as a ploy to get Carl even more interested. Richie and Edith show up at the right time and Carl suggests the idea of the rebuilding of Atlantic City as a much more lucrative scam (hundreds of millions) to com money from the sheik. He suggests Camden Mayor Carmine Polito has all the right connections.

p. 45–47: At the FBI Richie attempts and argues to convince his boss, Stoddard Thorsen, to park two million dollars of money in a bank in the name of the sheik in order to con Polito. Stoddard refuses. Carmine Polito is introduced as a family man with his wife, Dolly, five children, and as a loving mayor and politician, looking to put people to work and grow the New Jersey economy. Stoddard tries to tell Richie an ice fishing story as a cautionary tale. But Richie won’t listen and futility attempts to second guess the story.

p. 48–50: Edith steps in with Richie’s help to befriend and enlist the help of an eager wire transfer woman at the FBI, Brenda McPherson, who loves her cats, and impresses Richie that one even plays the piano. They go over Stoddard’s head to his fame seeking boss, Anthony Amado, Chief Prosecutor, U.S. Attorney, who is impressed that Stoddard did the wire transfer to entrap the mayor. Stoddard is upset he is put in this compromising position and has to take credit for the transfer.

p. 51–54: Back at Sydney’s with Richie, Irving questions the whole operation, thinking it’s dangerously too big, when Sydney reveals they had set up the two million and it was already in the works. Irving walks out, disgusted. Richie stays behind with Sydney who he only knows as Edith), and he is suspicious she is playing him. But he wants to get it on with her. Yet he can’t trust her and walks out too.

p. 55–57: Back to the beginning of the story we see Richie load the briefcase with money and attempt to push it on Carmine, who storms out. Irving goes after him in the street and convinces him to work just with him (Irving) , as they both have things in common, coming from similar backgrounds. They hit it off as friends.

p. 58–59: At Sydney’s apartment, Irv meets with Richie and Sydney and reveals he is going out with Carmine and “the wives” to dinner, excluding both Richie and Sydney. Richie protests, but Irv explains Carmine just doesn’t like him. Richie alters his plan and decides he’s going after as many politicians as Carmine can attract to the sheik. Irv protests this is dangerously too big. Meanwhile, Sydney can only say, “You’re taking your wife, your fucking wife….”

p. 60–62: Sydney is alone with a joint, and she calls Richie at home at dinner with his mother and fiancé. He tries to hide that he has a fiancé but she yells it and Sydney hears. Still Richie denies it. They decide to meet and go out to a club.

p. 63–65: At an Italian restaurant, Irv, Rosalyn, Carmine and his wife, eat drink and laugh and become good friends.

p. 66–67: On 54th street, Richie and Sydney go disco dancing. They end up in a bathroom stall where they vow not to fuck until it becomes real, “no more fake shit”.

p. 68–71: At a Camden social club Irv and Carmine sin with the crowd, and then Carmine toasts to Irv telling the crowd how wonderful it that Irv is going to regrow the economy. Irving tries to play it down, “What if it doesn’t happen?” But Carmine won’t hear it. They later go to breakfast and Carmine asks Irv to show Camden to the sheik, which Irv reluctantly agrees to. Carmine gifts Irv with a new microwave oven, the latest technology. Irv is touched and refers to it as a science oven. Carmine warns him not to put metal in it.

p. 72–74: At the fed building, Richie demands a private jet for the sheik, which Stoddard finally agrees to, after their usual arguments. Stoddard again fails to finish the ice fishing story which Richie again fails to second guess.

p. 73–74: Roslyn puts a metal container of food into the microwave (the science oven) which then blows up in flames. Later Irv tells her he told not to put metal in it. Then she protests that it was dangerous to begin with and thank God for her. He says it was a special gift from Carmine and she mocks that he should go marry Carmine.

p.75: At the airport Richie shows up with Sydney. Irv sees them kissing. He goes to Sydney as Richie goes to the jet. Irv tells Sydney to stay away from the meeting that night, where Carmine will show the sheik the hotel they renovated in Atlantic City as a new casino. Sydney tells him to stay away from her, that there are finished, and that he’s nothing to her until he’s everything.

p. 76–78: Inside the jet, Richie introduces Irv to his sheik, Paco, an FBI agent. They argue that Irv wanted his guy, Al from Queens, to play the sheik; and then that Richie kissed Sydney. Irv instructs the agent sheik how to present a gift to Carmine to help win his trust.

p.79: Paco is introduced to Carmine as the sheik, and he presents his gift, a ceremonial knife, which impresses Carmine.

p. 80–83: At Irv’s house with Roslyn, Irv tells Roslyn she can’t come to the party that night. Meanwhile Richie calls for Irv and she listens in on an extension line as he reveals he has fed agents coming to the party. She questions who Richie is, and who the feds are, wondering if it’s the IRS. Irv tells her to stay out of it, worried she will screw things up. Then Carmine calls, she answers and tells him Irv won’t let her go to the party, to which Carmine protests that she is the life of the party. He gets on the line with Irv and convinces Irv to bring her.

p. 84–85: At the Atlantic City hotel, they arrive. Roslyn faces off with Sydney like two cats about to fight. The sheik is with Richie and they meet Carmine and his wife. Inside Carmine boasts about the hand painted ceiling in the lobby and how they save money renovating.

p. 86–90: Inside another room people are gambling for charity. The entourage continues into the Ocean Room, where they confront some well-dressed gentlemen, the mob, who Carmine notes as having many years of experience in the business. Irv is immediately cautious and wants to confer before meeting them. But Richie insists there is nothing to be scared of. Roselyn overhears they are scared, and to everyone’s chagrin, boldly walks up to the mob guys who fawn over her in her beautiful gown. She loves the attention. Pete Musane, one of the mob guys, takes right away to Roselyn. They hit it off as another mob guy, Dick Helsing, drinks with them

Richie then introduces the sheik to the mob guys who then suggest they meet Mr. Tellegio in the back room. They go to the back as Sydney stays behind to keep an eye on Roslyn, worried she will screw things up.

p. 91: In the back room we find Victor Tellegio, big mob boss, waiting to meet them. There’s a quick flashback of Tellegio’s past life as an enforcer, killing someone in the street. He greets Carmine and a table is set up for them to sit. They sit and Tellegio tells them they have to make the sheik an American citizen for this investment to work legally. Irv protests that this is too dangerous. Tellegio calls him a farmer and tells him to calm down and questions that he doesn’t know how real all this is. Irv, Richie, Paco and even Carmine are concerned.

Tellegio then speaks in Arabic to Paco, to everyone’s amazement. Irv is worried and Paco doesn’t really know much Arabic. Paco doesn’t speak. In voice over Irving explains that Tellegio learned Arabic to keep up on his mid-eastern investments. But the tense moment is broken by one of Carmine’s drunken aides, who stumbles onto the table, telling Carmine he has to give a speech in the other room.

Paco (as the sheik) speaks enough Arabic to say the deal is real, as he gets up to leave. Tellegio tells Carmine they need to see ten million in the bank of their choice within two weeks, to prove this deal is legitimate, or else he’ll be “deeply insulted.”

p. 96–99: Back at the bar Sydney tries to pull Roslyn aside but they argue instead, and Dolly pulls them apart.. But after that they meet in the bathroom and fight it out. Roslyn calls her a whore and tells her she has a child with Irv, and that she’ll get back at her. Sydney tells her that her love with Irv was real and great, while it lasted, and all three of them know it, and that Roslyn uses Irv and her child to keep him. This has Roslyn in tears.

p.100: Rosalyn walks out and is grabbed by Pete. She melts into his arms and cries. Sydney storms out and sees them. She runs back into the room where Irv is leading the sheik (Paco) out of the meeting with Tellegio. She tells Irv they need to talk, “this is serious.”

p.101: Carmine takes the mic in the main ballroom filled with a crowd. He toasts everyone for what a great job they’ve done (to make Atlantic City happen).

p.101: Irv goes to his dry cleaning store and opens the safe, takes out some cash and a gun. He looks around saddened, and remembers better times there with Sydney when she first tried on some outfits.

p. 102–108: Richie tromps down the street bangs on Sydney’s door, walks in, asking for the phone. He calls Stoddard and demands ten million dollars for a Tellegio sting, and a whole floor at the Plaza for the sheik, to entrap potential Congressmen willing to take bribes. Then he tells Sydney he really loves her and that makes it real so they can now have sex. She reveals her real name is Sydney and that she has no English accent and is not Edith Greensley. He takes Sydney and tries to force her to have sex to calm him down. She bangs his head with a picture frame as Irv walks in with a gun pointed at him, and asks him to step away from “Edith”. Richie reveals that he knows she is Sydney and not Edith.

Irv goes on to say that Richie got them into something worse than jail, with Tellegio, and that it’s over. Richie counters that no it’s not, because Tellegio will kill him, his family and Sydney if he finds out.

Richie calls Stoddard again and screams at him, and threatens to come and beat him up. He leaves the room.

p. 109: Irving sits with Sydney and they have regrets about not leaving town when they had a better chance. Sydney tells him they have to find a way to get over on everyone. We see they are now holding hands, reconciled.

p. 110–114: At the federal building a beat up Stoddard sits at the prosecutor’s desk, testifying into a recorder that he was attacked by Richie. We see flashbacks of Rickie smacking his head with a phone and pulling a gun on him. Then Richie interrupts the testimony to say he was sorry, but that he really needed the ten million and the suite. Prosecutor Amado listens to all this and then (to Stoddard’s chagrin) he considers Richie’s plan, agrees to the hotel suite, but denies the ten million.

p.115: In the hallway, Stoddard has it out with Richie and tells him good luck staying alive and keeping his job. Richie asks him to finish the fishing story which Stoddard refuses to do.

p. 116: At the Plaza Richie is with Irv and Sydney, making apologies, but Irv does not reciprocate. Richie goes on to set up the room with hidden cameras.

p. 117–119: Carmine in his office talks to a Congressman telling him about the great investment opportunity.
At the Plaza Richie records himself filling a briefcase with money to give to a congressman. He goes on to record the entrapment actions as we watch Carmine at the state capitol with another congressman.

At the Plaza we see Richie, Carmine and Irv talking to congressmen and a senator about the great plans for Atlantic City.

p. 120–122: On another day we see a gray monitor with Richie filling another briefcase and describing the congressman he is entrapping; then a congressman taking to Irv and Carmine, and then all over again with another congressman. They bribe a senator who praises Carmine and how his people love him. Carmine stakes his family on the legitimacy of the plan, which makes Irving, feel bad.

Irving takes a break to a back room where he sees the feds recording and then sees Sydney, who he tells how he feels for Carmine. She tells him the way to help Carmine is to go through with the plan to get Tellegio. She also says the one thing that could fuck it up is Irving’s wife.

p. 123–124: Rosalyn sends Danny off to school as she meets Pete. They go out and are at a posh restaurant gazing into each other’s eyes. She reveals that Irving is caught up in some kind of “IRS” or fed thing and is being forced to do things by Richie. Pete realizes he has to “talk to Irving”.

We see Pete coerce Irving and Carmine into the front seat of his car with Dick Helsing in the back seat.

p. 125–133: Danny watches Rosalyn house cleaning in her mumu while singing to “Live or Let Die”.

Intercut to Pete’s car and a canvas bag is put over Irving’s head and he is threatened with a gun.

Back to Rosalyn and Irving storms in and complains that her boyfriend tried to kill him.

She says he had told her the marriage wasn’t working and she should get out and meet people.

He replies with “What a doozy you picked… the most dangerous guy ever.” Then he reveals he came up with a new plan while the bag was over his head.

She claims responsibility for motivating him through Pete with her “power of intention”.

Flashback to the car with Pete, as Irving tells them he can get two million that week.

Back to Rosalyn and she regurgitates what he told her at the beginning; that they aren’t good together and should get a divorce.

p. 134–139: Richie, Irving and Sydney walk into Alfonse Simone’s office, the supposed attorney for Tellegio. They argue at first that Tellegio isn’t there, but then Sydney convinces Richie to do the wire transfer anyway. Richie proceeds to first get Simone to reveal that he will pay off, coerce people and teach skimming. Satisfied he has incriminating evidence, he calls the ‘sheik’ to do the transfer. But on the other end in Brenda’s transfer office are Amado and Stoddard. They take the wire number and transfer the two million.

p. 140: At Amado’s office later, there is a celebration with the FBI crowd as they play back the recording with Simone. Richie is ecstatic, dancing around as Stoddard mopes unimpressed.

p. 141–144: Irving in his car with Sydney pulls up to Carmine’s house. He goes in and reveals to Carmine and Dolly what he did to entrap Carmine. Devastated, they throw him out and Irving is deeply remorseful and sorry.

p. 145–150: At Amado’s office, Richie, Amado, and Stoddard solemnly welcome Irving and Sydney to come in and sit down. They ask for an explanation of the missing two million. Irving denies any knowledge. Amado reveals that someone called to offer to get the two million if Irv and Sydney were let off, and if Carmine got a reduced sentence.

Flashback to Richie busting in on Simone’s office only to find it belongs to a different attorney, Roger Thigpen. Irving does a voice over to reveal that Simone was actually a friend of his, Ed Malone the Long Island cold cut king, who had the pool party where he met Sydney. Irving accuses Richie of losing the two million because he was confused about who and where Tellegio’s attorney was.

Richie is taken back with, “Am I living in a fucking nightmare?”

Richie claims they both conned him. Irving responds that this doesn’t sound so good to say that he got conned by the very con men who he forced to entrap members of Congress, and how ironic it was that Richie would entrap the members of Congress trying hardest to get New Jersey going again, and that he missed the real guys he wanted, like Tellegio.

Richie looks sick. Stoddard tells Richie he’s done

p. 151: We see members of Congress get arrested along with Carmine cuffed as he solemnly says bye to his wife. Then we see a crowed federal building press conference as Irv tells us Richie’s name was never even mentioned. A dejected Richie watches from the back.

p. 152: We see Sydney happy with Danny at his school yard.

We see Rosalyn get into a car with Pete as Irving says bye. Pete tells Irving his boss knows he did him a solid. Irving says he was never going to let that happen.

Irving tells us his conning days are over and that he and that he and Syd went into legitimate business selling art and that the art of survival never ends.

We see a needle on a record and watch a happy Sydney and Irving listen to Duke Ellington’s, Jeep’s Blues. Cut to Black.

Writing Exercise: I encourage you to read the script, but short of that, if you’ve seen the movie, go through this scene-by-scene breakdown. What stands out to you about it from a structural standpoint?

If you’d like a PDF of the American Hustle script scene-by-scene breakdown, go here.

Major kudos to Jon Raymond for doing this week’s breakdown.

For 100+ movie scripts broken down scene by scene, go here.