“American Hustle” director David O. Russell once had a string of bad relationships in the film business. Chief among them was George Clooney, who starred in Russell’s excellent (look at it now and see how good it is) “Three Kings.” The pair left the movie more bloodied and bruised than the characters who fought the Gulf War. (There was a reported physical altercation.)
On Tuesday night at the premiere of “Monuments Men” I asked Clooney what he thought of Russell’s recent triple successes– “The Fighter,” “Silver Linings Playbook,” and “American Hustle.” It’s been quite a happy turnaround since those dark, early days.
Clooney didn’t hesitate to praise Russell. “Look,” he said, “there came a time when I just said to him, Is this going to go on forever? We’ve got to shake hands and let it go.” Clooney, an unofficial world peace ambassador, knows how to be a good diplomat. “We put it behind us,” Clooney said. “And that’s great.”
Whether the pair will ever make a movie again together is unclear, and unnecessary. They made their masterpiece. “Three Kings” really holds up.
