Customer Reviews

The Sting (Legacy Series Edition)

5 star:		(63)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(34)

 

 

Great actors, great script, great plot, one of the top 25 movies of American cinema. A classic story that should satisfy all!

let me preface this particular review with this statement, generally i do not like older movies. now there are some exceptions, but generally i don't like them. i cannot quite nail down one reason, but just know that it holds true for the most part...

with that being said, this movie is absolutely incredible. this movie goes through a variety of emotions. mostly it is a fun movie, but it does have other emotions to traverse through. the plot of this movie follows robert redford (as a small-time grifter) as he sets up a con on a big-time ganster after that man had his mentor killed.

the plot sounds simple enough, but the con is not. redford meets up with paul newman's character and the two begin the setitng up the sting. they bring in many other great supporting characters to help with the con. many twists later the movie ends on a high note (but i don't want to give it away for those who haven't seen it).

redford and newman are wonderful in this movie. they have a great chemistry and show their acting chops in this film. without their performances this movie would not be as good as it is.

i highly recommend this film to anyone who likes a good movie about two unlikely heros. also recommend, poolhall junkies!

I find myself saying this about a lot of movies recently, but this is indeed one of my favorite movies. Teaming up for a second movie, Robert Redford and Paul Newman put on a great show as co-artists, who are after a "mark." Nearly every part of this movie is enjoyable to watch over and over, and it includes one of the best card (poker) scenes in all of Hollywood. "Four Jacks!" Aside from Newman and Redford, there is an all-star cast in this movie. Truly a must get.

The most successful "sting" occurs when a victim never realizes that she or he has been "stung." In this Academy Award winning best film, that would be Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw), a mobster/gambler in Chicago in the 1930s who is bilked out of hundreds of thousands of dollars by Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman) and his associates who include Johnny Hooker (Robert Redford). Credit George Roy Hill with brilliant direction of an especially talented cast. The musical score is eminently appropriate, devised by Marvin Hamlisch based on the works of Scott Joplin. A great deal of real or apparent blood is shed as elaborate preparations for the sting are completed. Most of the characters are not who and what they seem. We know what Gondorff and Newman are up to, of course, which adds to the fun. But there is a twist near the end of the film which fooled me. The narrative is seamless. The pace is expeditious but unhurried. In all respects, this is a thoroughly entertaining film but also one which at least suggests some darker regions of human nature. Those who enjoy it may wish to check out The Grifters (1990) which also has a bittersweet flavor at times. For broader humor, I suggest Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988).

NOTE: My comments are limited entirely to the film itself. Although the image and sound are clearer than in the VHS format, the supplementary features are unworthy of this Academy Award winning best film.

I just rented this DVD and watched the whole thing, but I've seen this movie several times before.

Johnny Hooker (Robert Redford) is a con artist who unknowingly swindles a lackey of crime boss Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw). After Hooker's partner in the crime is killed, Hooker vows revenge against Lonnegan and seeks Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman), one of the best cons in the game to help in the big Sting. Hooker would love to do more than just hit Lonnegan for a lot of money, but "doesn't know enough about killin' to kill him."

It's not easy separating a crime boss from his money, especially when he owns half the politicians and police. They have to take him without him even knowing he was taken. What follows is an exciting deception, carried out with professionalism and ingenuity.

I don't think the chemistry between Newman and Redford is quite as good as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, but it's still pretty darn good. Lines like this:

Redford (first seeing his arch-enemy): "He's not as tough as he thinks."
Newman: "Neither are we"

The story is classic. You don't exactly know who's who, and you wonder how they're going to pull it off in the end. Scott Joplin's ragtime music, although somewhat anachronistic, is effective at keeping the movie somewhat lighthearted. There are a couple of instances of swearing and a stripper with pasties on, which gives it a PG rating.

The reason for four stars is the fact that the DVD has NO EXTRAS, and the only option is the full screen version, no widescreen. A movie as good as this deserves better, which is unfortunate.

Overall, this is a great movie with great cinematography (transition wipe effects and some tracking shots) and phenomenal acting. Enjoy.

The year is 1936, and while generally there's a depression on, small-time Joliet grifter Johnny Hooker (Robert Redford) and his pals Luther Coleman and Joe Erie (Robert Earl Jones and Jack Kehoe) have just hit the big one, taking over $10,000 from a mark in a routine street con. What they don't know, unfortunately, is that their mark is actually a runner for the Illinois operation of New York banker-turned-mob boss Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw), who loses no time sending a pair of killers after them, commenting dryly that "you can't encourage this kind of thing ... ya' folla'?" Hours later, Luther is found dead below his living room window. Shocked and angry, Johnny and Joe nevertheless know they have to beat it, and quickly. Johnny decides to go to Chicago, to look up Luther's old friend Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman), whom Luther has described as a true big-timer. He is less than impressed, however, when he finds Gondorff sleeping off the previous night's booze, actually lying in a corner *beside* his bed. His impression only changes after they have started to talk (and not before he has given him a good drenching in the bath tub to sober him up) and Hooker begins to get an inkling that this guy Gondorff actually does know what he's talking about.

Thus, the scene is set for one of film history's greatest con operations, in which Gondorff and Hooker devise a scheme to sting Lonnegan out of a half million dollars in a venture including everything from a bamboozled poker round (courtesy of technical advisor John Scarne, whose hands doubled for Newman's) to a scam bookmaking outfit and the temporary hijacking of a telegraph office - as much in revenge for Luther's death (because, as Hooker explains, he "[doesn't] know enough about killing to kill [Lonnegan]") as for the scheme's financial prospect, which alone is big enough to make it worthwhile; and then, of course there is the thrill of the chase itself! And they're not even put off by the fact that Hooker is sought, besides by Lonnegan's killers, by Joliet "bunko" cop Snyder (Charles Durning) - less because of the latter's official duties, though, but because, bullied by Snyder into coughing up the better part of his share of the take from Lonnegan's runner, Hooker has had the brilliant idea of passing him counterfeit money; thus incurring the cop's wrath as surely as he has already incurred Lonnegan's.

"The Sting" reprised the successful cooperation of Redford, Newman and director George Roy Hill that had paid off so well four years earlier in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," earning Hill one of seven Academy Awards - the most coveted one besides "Best Movie," which also went to this movie - and Redford his first "Best Actor" Oscar nomination (why Newman wasn't likewise at least nominated will forever remain one of the Academy's mysteries). The screenplay was inspired by David W. Maurer's 1940 book "The Big Con," which chronicles the exploits of several depression-era con artists whose names, in turn, inspired those of several of the movie's characters, including Henry Gondorff, J.J. Singleton, Eddie Niles and Kid Twist (the latter three played with panache, wit and tongue firmly planted in cheek by Ray Walston, John Heffernan and the great, prolific Harold Gould).

Screenwriter David S. Ward - another one of the film's seven Oscar winners - created Hooker's role with Robert Redford in mind from the start. Redford, however, initially declined and only changed his mind (still not expecting the movie to be a major success) after Jack Nicholson had likewise turned it down in the interim. He would soon be proven dead wrong; indeed, everything came together as in a dream for the production: Two stars with confirmed on-screen chemistry, each of whom alone possessed enough charisma to turn even the slightest scene into a magical moment but who together were darn near unbeatable; a despite an not entirely convincing Irish accent eminently credible, intelligent and menacing villain; a great supporting cast that also included Eileen Brennan (Gondorff's girlfriend Billie), Dimitra Arliss (Hooker's love interest Loretta), Dana Elcar (would-be FBI Agent Polk) and Charles Dierkop (Lonnegan's right-hand man Floyd); a spunky script with new plot twists and memorable one-liners at every corner; meticulously researched, spot-on cinematography and art direction, earning the film Academy Award No. 4 (Art Direction) plus a nomination in the "Best Cinematography" category - all the more amazing as the movie was filmed almost entirely on Universal's back lot and includes only a few days' worth of location shots - likewise meticulously researched period costumes (Oscar No. 5 for the film and No. 7 for honoree Edith Head, out of no less than 25 (!) nominations); superb camerawork and editing (Oscar No. 6, Editing) and last but not least an Oscar-winning soundtrack, compiled by Marvin Hamlisch from Scott Joplin's ragtime tunes - which actually were no longer popular in the 1930s but fit the movie's tone like a tee.

Having watched the movie countless times, I sometimes wonder (only now that I'm finally reasonably familiar with its breathtaking plot twists, I hasten to add) whether it makes sense that in a well-organized outfit like Lonnegan's, which instantly identified Hooker, Coleman and Erie as the grifters who had conned their runner and also instantly knew their places of abode, both in Joliet *and* Hooker's new Chicago address, the right hand should have been so ignorant of the left hand's pursuits that it never dawned on anyone that the kid conning himself into Lonnegan's confidence under the name Kelly was actually none other than the Johnny Hooker they were pursuing for the Joliet hit. But ultimately this is nit-picking I'll admit, and it does not take away one iota of the movie's fun and overall class.

So, settle down with a beer, pop in the DVD (where is the special edition, Universal???) and enjoy - for the flag is up ... and they're off again!!

The acting is perfect; the tensions are not too hard to bear; the surprises are really surprises and the good (the little guys)guys win! And the bad guys (the guys with money, power and control) don't even know they've been had. This is the stuff that the hopes and dreams of most of us are made of. What more could we ask? The relationships amongst those little guys (and gals)are also what most of us can only hope for, faithfulness and loyalty (without possession), active and thoughtful caring without sentimentality or syrupyness. And the little guys can even pretend they're cops in convincing ways. I bought it because I want to see it many more times.

The Sting is still as much fun as the first time, even after all these years. Like Butch and Sundance, the relationship between Redford and Newman is the centre of the film. But unlike Butch and Sundance, the pair is supported by a rich ensemble of supporting characters, and the relationships here sparkle as well. George Roy Hill got great performances out of all the players. The production achieved a wonderful evocation of 1930s Chicago. The "making of" documentary on the second disk is rewarding and entertaining.

I remember this movie as a kid, and even then loving the music, and thinking that Newman and Redford were the coolest guys out, even though I didn't really get the plot. It's a great movie and Redford and Newman are fantastic, and the music will stay in your head for days. It's probably just me though sometimes it felt a little bit dated, and I must say this edition is pretty overpriced, the bonus material just really isn't that riveting.

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"You're right...[The con game] is not enough. But it's close!"

The above is what one of the con artists (or CONfidence game artists) says at the end of this fantastically entertaining movie.

This is a caper film set in late 1936. It revolves around a complicated but interesting plot by two professional con artists (played by Paul Newman and Robert Redford) to swindle a mob boss (played by Robert Shaw). The actual genesis of the idea behind this movie's plot is really unknown but rumour has it that it was inspired by some real-life con games.

The expression "the sting" refers to the moment a con artist finishes the "play" (the mechanics of the con game) and takes the "mark's" (the one being swindled or conned) money. (Today this expression is mainly used in the context of a law enforcement sting operation.)

If the con game is successful, the mark does not realize that he or she has been "taken" (cheated), at least not until the con artists are long gone.

This movie goes out of its way to make you feel like you're watching a 1930's film. Here are four reasons why:

(1) During the opening credits, the viewer is shown the main actors (there are eleven) with extracts from the actual movie. This is a style reminiscent of films from the early to mid 1930s.
(2) This movie is divided into distinct sections or parts with old fashioned title cards that has lettering and illustrations.
(3) The costumes that the actors wear. All are 1930's style.
(4) This movie's musical score especially its main theme melody "The Entertainer", a piano ragtime composition by American composer Scott Joplin (1867 to 1917). This music in turn encouraged a surge of popularity and critical acclaim (and deservedly so!!) for Joplin's music. (Ragtime is an originally American genre which had its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918. It predated jazz which began in America roughly around 1915.)

I said in (2) above that this movie is divided into title card sections. The titles on these cards are the preliminary work that has to be done in order to make the actual sting successful. Here are the actual titles:

(1) The Set-Up (24 minutes into the movie). That is, this is the actual set-up for the sting.
(2) The Hook (40 minutes)
(3) The Tale (1 hour, 7 minutes)
(4) The Wire (1 hr, 23 min). The "wire" is an off-track horse race betting scam.
(5) The Shut-Out (1 hr, 33 min). Here, the horse race bettor is unable (that is, is "shut-out") to make his bet.
(6) The Sting (1 hr, 52 min). See above for explanation of this term.

The acting by all is excellent. In fact, Robert Redford was nominated for an Academy Award. However, personally I have to give kudos to Robert Shaw for his fantastic portrayal of a person you want to see swindled.

This movie won 7 Academy Award including Best Picture.

Finally, the DVD itself (the one released Sept. 2005) is perfect in picture and sound quality. It has some interesting extras.

In conclusion, you deserve to see for yourself how the Big Con is performed!! (Note that this review is not attempting to con you into seeing this movie.)

(1973; 2 hr, 9 min; wide screen; 16 scenes; 2 discs)

<<Stephen Pletko, London, Ontario, Canada>>

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