Toronto, Sept. 11 -- It looks like a flashy, glamorous movie about strippers - all sparkle and skin and high-heels. And it is that. But the fleshy, dazzling surface of "Hustlers," written and directed by Lorene Scafaria, cloaks an empowering feminist tale about a sisterhood of women who turn the tables on a male-controlled industry.

"People go into the movie expecting something because stripper is a word that has so many connotations and preconceived notions," says Scafaria. "That's the hustle. Hopefully we're subverting expectations but subverting them in a way that has some nuance to it."

"Hustlers," opening in theaters this week following its well-received premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, stars Jennifer Lopez as R...