David O Russell is obviously a very good director. He especially seems to be an actors director, able to get the very best performance out of his cast. And when he has an A list cast, that means A list performances. Christian Bales, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Renner, Robert De Niro, and the lovely Jennifer Lawrence are all in top form. And probably going to be more then a few Oscar nods to follow. In addition to the cast, the cinematography is top notch. Very well shot, very nice camera movements, and captures the feel of the 70's.
The story on the other hand... it is good. Nothing great, but good. And that missing cog separates this from something along the lines of say Goodfellas, which is a classic and one of many Scorsese masterpieces. Maybe it is just me, I admit I am not a big David O Russell guy, and I did not care for Silver Lining Playbook. Another great cast and great performances, but not a fan. This, however, is certainly an upgrade from that movie.
I will admit I went in seeing this movie mostly because of the critical buzz and cast. Given what I saw from the trailers, I was not all that enthusiastic. But I do not regret seeing it. Bottom line: Good, but not great.