Description
Hoping that box-office lighting might strike twice, George Roy Hill again joined forces with Paul Newman and Robert Redford, who star as con men Henry Gondorff and Johnny Hooker in THE STING. In the Chicago of the 1930s, Johnny's partner, Luther (Robert Earl Jones), is fatally wounded by a victim of one of their scams who turns out to be powerful syndicate boss Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw). Eager for revenge, Johnny takes a tip from his dying partner and seeks out mutual friend Gondorff, a consummate master of the long con. Gondorff rouses himself from his alcoholic inertia and agrees to help Johnny take down the despicable Lonnegan, conscripting an army of grifters ready to avenge their friend's death. The labyrinthine plot, which is stuffed with false leads, red herrings, and a double-cross-a-minute, involves a fake bookie joint, a very persistent FBI agent, a bunch of corrupt cops, and one shifty dame. An extremely entertaining film, the Oscar-winning film transcends the genre through the superb acting of the three leads, the keen attention to the re-creation of period detail, and a fiendishly intricate script that cons audiences completely. The wonderful score, which became immensely popular, featured Marvin Hamlisch's orchestral transcriptions of Scott Joplin's piano rags; the film led to a revival of interest in the composer. The film is one of the most entertaining films of the 1970s and lives up to its hype on repeat viewings.
Quick Glance
Genre: Dramas
Rating: PG (MPAA)
Relase Company: Universal Studios Home Video
Format: HD DVD
UPC: 00025193281029
A very enjoyable movie. I loved seeing the caper unfold before my eyes and the twists and turns that the it goes through. I recommend it to anyone. A lot of fun to watch.
Let's see now--there were a million people in on this deal so obviously Lonigan would never find out!
Let's see now--there were a million people in on this deal so obviously Lonigan would never find out!
A very well crafted and very enjoyable movie. Unlike a lot of surprise ending movies, this does not lose its appeal on repeat viewings.
Endlessly watchable. What a cast of characters!
I gave this movie a rating of 1 because it was not interesting or appealing to my best interest. Throughout the movie I constantly was falling asleep.
I rented this the other night, remembering how great I thought it was as a teen. Its decent but not nearly as imaginative a plot as my memory would have predicted. I love the 1930s ambience and the Scott Joplin rags that fill the corners of the film, but its just not as substantive as I'd expected.
Sting, The (1973) receives an overall TopTenREVIEWS rating of 3.33 out of 4.00. It is ranked the #169 movie of all time, #5 movie from 1973 and #106 Drama movie of all time. The rating and ranking is based on an average of 44 critic scores, awards and other criteria. To see a breakdown of the movie ranking, read individual critic reviews, or see how other movies ranked, click on the link below.
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Reteaming after their triumphant Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Paul Newman, Robert Redford, and George Roy Hill prove that charm, humor, and a few slick twists really can add up to a great, entertaining film.
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The Sting (HD DVD - 1973)
I absolutely loved this movie and Paul Newman.