Christian Bale worked with David O. Russell.
American Hustle is a 2013 American black comedy-crime film directed by David O. Russell . It stars Christian Bale and Amy Adams as two con artists who are forced by an FBI agent ( Bradley Cooper ) to set up an elaborate sting operation on corrupt politicians , including the mayor of Camden , New Jersey ( Jeremy Renner ) . Christian Bale . He has since gained further acclaim as well as subsequent Academy Award , Screen Actors Guild Award and Golden Globe nominations for his roles in Russell 's American Hustle ( 2013 ) and Adam McKay 's The Big Short ( 2015 ) .