Any film that reserves the prestigious “and” credit for cultural icon Cardi B is going to instantly be something special. Naturally, Hustlers is not only an extremely entertaining film, but it is also one of the most unique cinematic experiences of the year, a hilarious and irreverent crime story that takes every opportunity it is given and presents us with an extraordinarily enjoyable film that is far more than what it appears to be. There are so many poignant themes embedded within this film, and it overcomes certain surface-level elements that would otherwise have this film dismissed by those who don’t realize that beneath the mainstream sheen is an intelligent, fascinating film that tackles the subjects of crime, class struggle and sisterhood in a way that is far deeper than its external experience would have you believe. Don’t let the subject matter fool you – Hustlers is a brilliant piece of contemporary crime filmmaking, a smart and engaging story of the boundless tenacity of the human spirit, and an astoundingly fun film that never allows its somewhat controversial subject matter deter from the fact that this is one of the year’s most pleasant surprises.

Based on a true story, Hustlers follows Dorothy (Constance Wu), a young woman who makes her living working in a variety of strip clubs, operating under the name Destiny. It isn’t work she particularly enjoys, but she is good at it, and she makes a livable income, which she uses to support herself and her grandmother. However, she starts to realize there has to be more to life than this line of work, and when she befriends Ramona (Jennifer Lopez), a veteran of the industry beloved by regulars and newcomers alike, she starts to believe that there is a better way to earn a living, especially at the expense of the wealthy Wall Street tycoons who take advantage of the women and objectify them to the point where they start to lose any human resemblance. Destiny and Ramona team up with Mercedes (Keke Palmer) and Annabelle (Lili Reinhart) to fleece the kind of men who have so happily taken advantage of them over the years, as a way of getting the vindication they believe they deserve. However, the threat of being caught looms heavily, and the idea of a group of strippers drugging and stealing from wealthy men is not particularly endearing to any of the women, who are held together only by their undying devotion to their unconventional sisterhood, built upon mutual respect and desperation to break out of a cycle of despair.

The key to understanding the appeal of Hustlers is to look beyond what it appears to be. The marketing and premise would lead you to believe that this is a low-brow, populist comedy with brief overtures of a heist thriller, designed solely to entertain and enthral audiences, and not much else. What this film doesn’t initially tell you is that this is a far more engaging film and one that wasn’t necessarily made to appeal to one group in particular, but rather to a broader set of viewers. Taking a fascinating article written about a group of ex-strippers who became career criminals by drugging and stealing from an array of wealthy customers, Hustlers is a smart and well-constructed thriller that has the grit and audacity of many of the great crime films of the past, with the likes of Martin Scorsese and Michael Mann being clear inspiration (certainly a very bold assertion, but one that makes sense when you consider it in the context of the film). The approach Hustlers takes is far more aligned with the crime aspect, demonstrating a remarkably stylish, but not gaudy, representation of these events. Naturally, you’d think a film about strippers engaging in sordid crimes would be played for the glamour, when in actuality director Lorene Scafaria crafted a thrilling, tight crime drama that executes its story with deft precision, narrowly avoiding excess and finding just the right balance between style and substance.

The cast of Hustlers is as eclectic as it is unexpected – who would’ve thought a film lead by such a diverse group of women, some of them not having the same acting experience as others, would be such an enormous hit? Understandably, some may look at the cast and not have the highest expectations – but I truly believe this is one of the main reasons why this film succeeds, because not only does it utilize each member of its ensemble extremely well, all of them give extraordinary performances. Constance Wu anchors the film as the main protagonist, who is trying to make her way in a world that seems naturally against her. Wu made an astonishingly great film debut in Crazy Rich Asians, where her immense talents finally got the showcase they needed (although anyone who has seen her extraordinary work on Fresh Off the Boat will tell you that she’s been stealthily giving the best comedic performance on television for a while now), and takes on a very different role here, one that doesn’t require her to abandon her unique charms, but rather utilize them in a very different way. This is heavily contrasted with the performances by Keke Palmer, who is hopefully going to receive a career revival with her wonderful work here, playing a character who isn’t given much to do, but still finds the pathos in an underwritten role, and Lili Reinhart, who may appear only halfway through, but effortlessly assimilates into the film without any difficulty. Hustlers is also worth it for cameos by Lizzo and Cardi B, two of the most exciting musicians working today. Their roles may be small, but they feel so natural, one can only wonder whether this will serve as proof that they shouldn’t only be confined to music and that their acting talents are certainly worth exploring further.

However, as good as these performances are, no one comes anywhere close to Jennifer Lopez. One of the year’s most wonderful surprises has been the reevaluation of Jennifer Lopez’s work as an actress, and while this may sometimes tend towards revisionism of sorts, there is no doubt that she’s a very gifted actress, even when the films around her have not been. Over the course of her acting career, Lopez has had more failures than she has had successes, mainly because very few managed to utilize her in the right way – to be fair, she is an enigmatic performer, someone who doesn’t naturally fall into a particular archetype (this is the same reason why she is still seen as one of the most vibrant and dynamic performers of her era, despite never having reinvented herself too much, or undergone any major changes in her style, even after two decades in the entertainment industry). Yet, Scafaria seems to have put a saddle on Lopez and harnessed her talents in a way that not only feels entirely authentic but also gives them the showcase they deserve. The role of Ramona is the most interesting in the film – she’s the veteran of the crew at the core of the film, a woman who has progressed so far in her industry, her work is less of a job and more of a craft, an art that she has so effortlessly mastered. No one else could’ve played this role better than Lopez, because she handles the idiosyncrasies of the part so perfectly – whether her grasp on the physicality (her introductory scene, which sees her performing to “Criminal” by Fiona Apple, will be one of the most memorable scenes of the year), or the maternal role she plays to the younger woman, Lopez is simply astonishing. This is hopefully going to be the revival her acting career needs, and a potent reminder that while many of her films in the past haven’t been particularly good, she was always exceptional, and deserves much better.

If nothing else, Hustlers deserves praise for being a truly great female-led crime film, the rare kind that doesn’t rely on cliche or predictable subject matter to tell the story. It was certainly a great benefit to the film that it was directed by Scafaria, who helped redefine the female-led comedy in her own way with the terrific The Meddler a few years ago, and who takes on this true story with the same kind of empathy, without resorting to trite conventions, which films like this tend to do, through the belief that dazzling visuals and more palatable storytelling makes for more compelling viewing. Adapting the true story relatively honestly, and thus never needing to embellish in a way to make it more entertaining, Hustlers is effortlessly truthful and never needs to take the story in any direction that feels inauthentic. In keeping with the gritty nature of the crime films that inspired it (it certainly is much more along the lines of Goodfellas than Magic Mike), the film sometimes feels extremely bleak, but it never loses sight over the fact that these women weren’t just doing this for the money, but also because they needed to break free from the abuse they were facing by people who paid to objectify them. Hustlers doesn’t necessarily condone the industry it represents, but it also doesn’t revile it, and it shows how these women seemingly had no other choice – there are scenes where they all seek other avenues of employment, such as in retail, where the strict regulations and sometimes inflexible conditions merge with the stigma attached to their previous profession, meaning they were naturally always going to be at a disadvantage. One of the most significant merits of Hustlers is that it never positions these women as heroes or villains – they just portray them as humans, forced to survive any way they can.

Hustlers is a lot more complex than you’d think based on the premise and promotion surrounding it. Even those that go in with high expectations might find themselves shocked by how deeply nuanced this film actually is – there’s a certain elegance to this film that comes from the intersections between various elements, such as the assured direction by Lorene Scafaria, who understands making a female-centric film doesn’t mean you need to resort to the same hackneyed conventions, and the memorable performances by a committed cast, all of which are firing on all cylinders, especially Jennifer Lopez, who delivers a memorable performance that will surely help remind naysayers and cynics that there is far more to her as an actress than one would think. Ultimately, Hustlers is a terrific film – it defies cliche, and finds its grounding in a gritty but heartfelt story of sisterhood and defiance, where we see a set of strong-willed individuals uniting to go against an institution that has caused them a great deal of despair over the years. It is entertaining without over-glamourizing the story, and its ability to blend comedic moments with dramatic gravitas makes the film a very captivating experience. Hustlers is a film that deserves to thrive and become massively successful, because this kind of filmmaking is quite rare to come across, and there’s no doubt that this is one of the year’s most unexpected gems, and a brilliant piece of filmmaking all around.