The Sting (1973)

User Rating:

8.4/10   

Director:

George Roy Hill

Writer (WGA):

David S. Ward (written by)

Release Date:

10 January 1974 (Argentina)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Recapture "the STING Experience". REMEMBER HOW GOOD THE FEEL WAS THE FIRST TIME (re-release)

Plot:

In 1930s Chicago, a young con man seeking revenge for his murdered partner teams up with a master of the big con to win a fortune from a criminal banker.

Plot Keywords:

Con | Big Con | Revenge | Long Con | Courier

Awards:

Won 7 Oscars. Another 9 wins & 6 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Mon. Nov. 23

7:00 AM

MAX

Cast

Paul Newman	...	Henry Gondorff
Robert Redford	...	Johnny Hooker
Robert Shaw	...	Doyle Lonnegan
Charles Durning	...	Lt. Wm. Snyder
Ray Walston	...	J.J. Singleton
Eileen Brennan	...	Billie
Harold Gould	...	Kid Twist
John Heffernan	...	Eddie Niles
Dana Elcar	...	F.B.I. Agent Polk
Jack Kehoe	...	Erie Kid
Dimitra Arliss	...	Loretta
Robert Earl Jones	...	Luther Coleman (as Robertearl Jones)
James Sloyan	...	Mottola (as James J. Sloyan)
Charles Dierkop	...	Floyd (Bodyguard)
Lee Paul	...	Bodyguard

Also Known As:

Der Clou (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
El golpe (Argentina) (Spain) [es]
L'arnaque (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
юТЕПЮ (Soviet Union: Russian title) [ru]
A nagy balhé (Hungary) [hu]
Belalilar (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Blåsningen (Sweden) [sv]
Golpe de Mestre (Brazil) [pt]
Ha-Oketz (Israel: Hebrew title) [iw]
La stangata (Italy) [it]
Podraz (Czechoslovakia) [cs]
Puhallus (Finland) [fi]
Sidste stik (Denmark) [da]
To kentri (Greece) [el]
Zadlo (Poland) [pl]
Zaoka (Yugoslavia: Serbian title) [sr]

Runtime:

129 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) | Canada:G (Quebec) | UK:PG (video rating) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Portugal:M/12 | Australia:PG | South Korea:15 | Brazil:Livre | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1974) | Peru:14 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | USA:PG | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Biltmore Hotel - 506 S. Grand Avenue, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Zanuck/Brown Productions

Trivia:

Characters Henry Gondorff, JJ Singleton, Kid Twist and Eddie Niles have names similar to genuine con artists of the first quarter of the twentieth century, whose exploits are detailed in Maurer's "The Big Con".

Goofs:

Anachronisms: There's a double yellow line in the street outside the merry-go-round, just after Hooker arrives in Chicago.

Quotes:

Louise Coleman: If I didn't know you better, I'd swear you had some class!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Bluffmaster! (2005)

Soundtrack:

SOLACE

You wanna make a film - here's how...

A delicious wheeze from start to finish. Certainly a film that leaves you thinking that you'd like to have been in Henry's gang and played a part in separating Lonnegan from his dough. The editing is pin sharp and beautifully cast with a superb musical track to keep you company. The framing, the photography, the pace all dovetail exquisitely and if you feel left outside of the game plan in your first viewing, never fear, the second time of watching, you'll enjoy it just as much but it will mean more. Certainly it's a film you'll want to see a second time. At least. Oscars rightly by the handful and nominations are full deserved to combine for a winning performance by all concerned. Definitely in my top fifty of all time.