The Sting (B+ or 3/4 stars)
1973's 'The Sting' (directed by George Roy Hill) showcases Hollywood star Robert Redford & Paul Newman in this 7(!)-time Academy Award-winning caper set in 1930s Chicago. It is a follow-up to their 1st hit together from 1969, Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid and, while I enjoyed this film more so than the prior one, I wasn't bowled over. The film opens in 1936 in Joliet, Illinois, as low-level grifter, Johnny Hooker (Robert Redford), & his partner, Luther Coleman (Robert Earl Jones, James Earl's father) con a number's runner out of an $11,000 delivery. This enrages the head of the Chicago racket, merciless Irish racketeer Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw, of Jaws fame), who contracts a hit on the con men.
After Doyle’s hit men toss Luther out the window of his apartment, Johnny escapes Doyle's hit men + a corrupt cop (Charles Durning) & flees to Chicago & contacts once-legendary con artist, Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman). Since Lonnegan is looking to 'rub out' Johnny, the down-&-out drunken Henry quickly sobers up {funny scene with him, Redford & a bath tub} and musters his efficient con team and, they drum-up an elaborate scheme to put 'the sting' in the wallet on mobster Doyle - getting him into a high-stake poker game onboard a train, and then setting-up a phony horse betting parlor to lure him into making a $500,000 wager - to exact revenge on him for ordering the hit on Luther. Johnny relishes this opportunity to swindle the head cheese of swindling. As our colorful characters try staying one step ahead of the cons, various twists & turns ensue leading to a wallop of an ending.
Although this movie is not an outright comedy, the tone of the film is light, which makes it something of an anomaly for a Best Picture winner, as the Academy typically awards serious fare. By keeping things light & merry, despite a couple of dark spells, the story breezes by; despite the touch-too-long 130 minute run time. It also helped my enjoyment of the film that the ending contains a big twist. The shock twist is so smoothly incorporated into the script that, apparently, audiences back in 1973 audibly gasped & then cheered at the last-minute revelation(s). This film also excels in period details of the 1930s Chicago scene and, Robert Surtees' cinematography is sparkling; Oscar wins abounded for these technical elements. When famed designer Edith Head won for Best Costumes, she spoke of the joy of dressing such handsome stars as Redford & Newman and then actually getting rewarded for it.
Having said all that, the reason this film is successful as it IS {made a ton of $$}, is not exclusively for the admittedly clever script, or the aforementioned technical elements {including Marvin Hamlisch's Oscar-winning arrangements of Scott Joplin's ragtime songs}, or the late twists ... but for the delightful turns by twinkling stars & lifelong friends, Robert Redford & Paul Newman. Redford received his only Oscar nod for this role and, while he's amusing & charming, I believe this role + his iconic, some might say, more challenging turn in The Way We Were {of the same year} cemented his nomination. And there was no way he was winning against eventual champ Jack Lemmon {for Save the Tiger}, Jack Nicholson, Al Pacino or Marlon Brando.
Paul Newman is co-lead here, but is basically a fun-as-hell supporting player in the grand scheme of things. His best scene is the poker game on the train. And I had to laugh every time he mispronounced Doyle's last name as a way to piss him off. Robert Shaw, who is in the film even more than Newman, is terrific as the deliciously evil, if also dumb-dumb villain. I also enjoyed Eileen Brennan as Newman's heart-of-gold lady friend, & Charles Durning as the shady cop after Redford. You know, I would not have given this film Best Picture. I think it tries too hard to charm. It's a bit over-padded. And it did not entertain me as much as I wanted it to. But while I never became fully invested in this comedy caper, Redford & Newman pulled me through.
After Doyle’s hit men toss Luther out the window of his apartment, Johnny escapes Doyle's hit men + a corrupt cop (Charles Durning) & flees to Chicago & contacts once-legendary con artist, Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman). Since Lonnegan is looking to 'rub out' Johnny, the down-&-out drunken Henry quickly sobers up {funny scene with him, Redford & a bath tub} and musters his efficient con team and, they drum-up an elaborate scheme to put 'the sting' in the wallet on mobster Doyle - getting him into a high-stake poker game onboard a train, and then setting-up a phony horse betting parlor to lure him into making a $500,000 wager - to exact revenge on him for ordering the hit on Luther. Johnny relishes this opportunity to swindle the head cheese of swindling. As our colorful characters try staying one step ahead of the cons, various twists & turns ensue leading to a wallop of an ending.
Although this movie is not an outright comedy, the tone of the film is light, which makes it something of an anomaly for a Best Picture winner, as the Academy typically awards serious fare. By keeping things light & merry, despite a couple of dark spells, the story breezes by; despite the touch-too-long 130 minute run time. It also helped my enjoyment of the film that the ending contains a big twist. The shock twist is so smoothly incorporated into the script that, apparently, audiences back in 1973 audibly gasped & then cheered at the last-minute revelation(s). This film also excels in period details of the 1930s Chicago scene and, Robert Surtees' cinematography is sparkling; Oscar wins abounded for these technical elements. When famed designer Edith Head won for Best Costumes, she spoke of the joy of dressing such handsome stars as Redford & Newman and then actually getting rewarded for it.
Having said all that, the reason this film is successful as it IS {made a ton of $$}, is not exclusively for the admittedly clever script, or the aforementioned technical elements {including Marvin Hamlisch's Oscar-winning arrangements of Scott Joplin's ragtime songs}, or the late twists ... but for the delightful turns by twinkling stars & lifelong friends, Robert Redford & Paul Newman. Redford received his only Oscar nod for this role and, while he's amusing & charming, I believe this role + his iconic, some might say, more challenging turn in The Way We Were {of the same year} cemented his nomination. And there was no way he was winning against eventual champ Jack Lemmon {for Save the Tiger}, Jack Nicholson, Al Pacino or Marlon Brando.
Paul Newman is co-lead here, but is basically a fun-as-hell supporting player in the grand scheme of things. His best scene is the poker game on the train. And I had to laugh every time he mispronounced Doyle's last name as a way to piss him off. Robert Shaw, who is in the film even more than Newman, is terrific as the deliciously evil, if also dumb-dumb villain. I also enjoyed Eileen Brennan as Newman's heart-of-gold lady friend, & Charles Durning as the shady cop after Redford. You know, I would not have given this film Best Picture. I think it tries too hard to charm. It's a bit over-padded. And it did not entertain me as much as I wanted it to. But while I never became fully invested in this comedy caper, Redford & Newman pulled me through.