The Lion's Den: 'Hustlers' works overtime, as strippers turn to crime

Thursday, September 12, 2019

'Hustlers' works overtime, as strippers turn to crime

(CNN)"Hustlers" incorporates a lot of powerful themes, with women using their sexuality to fleece men, in the process striking a blow for the working class against Wall Street fat cats. At its core, though, is a solid caper movie rooted in the challenges associated with running any criminal enterprise -- a more modest version of "Goodfellas," with less blood, and more skin.

Jennifer Lopez is among the producers of the film, which counts a number of high-profile entertainers -- including hip-hop stars Cardi B and Lizzo -- in its cast. Foremost, though, "Hustlers" is a showcase for Constance Wu, the star of "Crazy Rich Asians," who serves as the narrator/guide to this seedy world, in which the 2008 financial crash provides the impetus for a criminal scheme with Robin Hood-esque overtones.

Based on a true story chronicled in New York magazine, "Hustlers" focuses on a group of exotic dancers in New York who began drugging their customers, running up vast tabs on the men's credit cards that their marks were too embarrassed to pursue. Of course, the fact we're watching a movie means they didn't entirely get away with it, but it's still fascinating to see how they sustained the plot.

Destiny (Wu) is the new gal at the strip club when she first meets Lopez's Ramona, a confident pro who takes Destiny under her wing.

"This is a story about control," Destiny recalls in flashback, as the Janet Jackson song "Control" plays when Ramona is introduced, just to underscore the point. After a number of fits and starts, Ramona's "fishing" to lure big-money patrons to the clubs evolves into the notion of chemically assisting that process, with help from a couple of key confederates (Keke Palmer, Lili Reinhart), and eventually an expanding crew.