J-Lo makes it rain in an enthralling true-crime caper.

I distinctly recall the moment I rewatched Steven Soderbergh’s Out of Sight on TV one night years after its release and suddenly remembering just how great an actor Jennifer Lopez was. This viewing came years after one lousy rom-com after another eroded her acting reputation to the point that everyone – myself included – appeared to forget just how good she could be on her day. If you can remember Gigli – “it’s turkey time” and all –then you’ll know exactly what I mean.

In the years since, she seemed to take a big step back from the acting game and, to be fair, by that point, it felt like we all needed a bit of a J-Lo breather. But, after several years in the Hollywood wilderness, Jennifer Lopez is back with Hustlers – one of the biggest surprises of the year and by far her best movie since Out of Sight.

Working as a stripper to make ends meet, Destiny (Constance Wu) feels lost until she befriends her club’s star performer, Ramona (Jennifer Lopez). Teaching her the ropes, Ramona shows Destiny every trick in the book to work the club’s wealthy Wall Street clientele for every penny they’ve got. When the economy collapses in 2008 and the club’s profits are hit hard, Destiny and Ramona are forced to devise a daring – and highly illegal – scheme to take their life back.

If evidence were ever needed as to why you should never judge a stripper crime caper by its cover, Hustlers is it. On the surface, it really shouldn’t work as anything beyond trashy, straight-to-video (or, you know, Netflix) fun, yet there’s something utterly unique in the film’s incisive execution that makes it far more than the sum of its parts.

Husters is a film that revels in its underdog spirit and makes sure it works to the strengths of both its cast and real-life story, all while offering enough heart, character, and filmmaking flair to keep things interesting. The result is an effective tale of empowerment and friendship that, like it’s protagonists, dares you to underestimate it at your peril.

In by far her best performance since Out of Sight, Jennifer Lopez is an absolute whirlwind of power and style as she’s served with a script that knows exactly what it wants from her and just how to get it. Simultaneously a mother, sister, friend, a no-nonsense leader, Lopez rips through the movie with a ferocious, self-assured dominance that will surely garner her some well-deserved recognition come awards season.

Around her are an eclectic and impressively diverse collection of women (which includes a number of big name pop stars), led brilliantly by Constance Wu. While inevitably overshadowed by the dominant presence of J-Lo, Wu nonetheless stands her ground, operating as the film’s heart as we’re made to feel her pain, joy, and quiet desperation throughout. The entire film is built on the chemistry between her, Lopez and the rest of the ensemble, and it’s through this that Hustlers reaches depths that would otherwise be beyond it.

The story itself is a simple one and follows a very familiar Goodfellas-esque crime formula, yet its powerful, unique message, impressive script, and Lorene Scafaria’s assured direction elevate it to another level altogether. Visually striking, confidently edited, and with some of the best music cues you’ll hear all year, Scafaria’s filmmaking verve (in only her third feature as a director) is astounding and ensures that we’re kept on our toes and thoroughly entertained throughout.

It would’ve been so easy for Scafaria to go for the easy play and lay the film’s themes on heavily, but there’s an impressive lightness and subtlety to the writing that ensures Hustler’ empowerment message never feels forced. Despite the film’s heightened heist antics, Hustlers is a film as grounded and relevant to today as anything in the cinemas right now, with a diverse female cast and a potent message that works well in the current #MeToo climate without ever hitting you over the head with it.

A story that revolves around the world of strippers could’ve easily turned out hugely awkward in the wrong hands, yet, mercifully, Hustlers avoids this by shooting everything purely through the female gaze, with a refreshing lack of camera leering going on, even in the film’s racier moments. Of course, it helps that the film is written and directed by a woman and contains an all-female core cast - a factor that goes a huge way to ensuring the film never once tips over into exploitation.

Driven by Lorene Scafaria’s filmmaking verve and a powerful performance from Jennifer Lopez, Hustlers is an absolute breath of fresh air and exactly the kind of escapist crime caper we sorely need right now. Entertaining, enthralling, heartfelt, and with a strong line in female empowerment, the film offers an admirable level of depth and pathos, and while it certainly hits some familiar crime-thriller beats, Hustlers showcases a boldness in storytelling and performance that manages to get the job done and get it done in style.