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The Sting
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The Sting (1973) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 59 | slideshow) Videos (see all 4)
The Sting (1973) -- 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.
The Sting (1973) -- 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.
The Sting (1973) -- Sinematurk - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 1% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writer (WGA):
David S. Ward (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Sting on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
10 January 1974 (Argentina) more
Genre:
Tagline:
Recapture "the STING Experience". REMEMBER HOW GOOD THE FEEL WAS THE FIRST TIME (re-release) more
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. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Won 7 Oscars. Another 9 wins & 6 nominations more
User Reviews:
Almost perfect more (181 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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Additional Details

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 Golpada (Portugal) [pt]
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]
more
Runtime:
129 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Robert Redford's character (Johnny Hooker) is supposedly named after blues legend John Lee Hooker. more
Goofs:
Continuity: The person that manipulates the cards on the train has noticeably longer nails than Henry. (See Trivia) more
Quotes:
Henry Gondorff: Tough luck, Lonnehan. But that's what you get for playing with your head up your ass! more
Soundtrack:
THE ENTERTAINER more

FAQ

Why didn't Lonegan know who Hooker was, despite having ordered him killed?
Is this movie based on a novel?
Any recommendations for movies similar to "The Sting"?
more
89 out of 110 people found the following review useful.
Almost perfect, 16 November 2004
Author: Framescourer from London, UK

This film deserved every Oscar thrown at it. It looks good, it's funny, it's extremely complex but doesn't dwell on the fact for a moment: if you can spot the twists, you haven't got time to sit back smugly as they pop up - everything rushes on. The acting's good as is the story, one carrying the other. I can't think of a movie where people so obviously had as much fun - maybe (Soderbergh's) Ocean's Eleven, or even Some Like It Hot? The soundtrack is brilliant too, contemporaneous Joplin rags evoking the time and its contradictions artlessly.

The bit that raises this film the one notch higher though is a short, central sequence, in which the music plays as high profile a part as any character or narrative aside. It's the night before The Sting and Redford is drawn to the drugstore girl who's trying to leave town. Perfectly framed by the bittersweetest of the blues/rags he asks her out for a drink - revealing his vulnerability for the first time in a movie where everybody's pretending to be someone else: 'It's 2 o'clock in the morning and I don't know nobody.' Despite all the caper and thrill of grifting all he wants is what we all want. It's a rich, compassionate heart to a virtuosic piece of film-making. 9.5/10

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Sting (1973)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Not trying to be mean- but why were all the women UGLY?? McHinch
Problems with the poker game from The Sting jsampras3
Loretta Salerno (saleno?) yinko
Gondorf on the lam? (spoiler) Picasner
Two Plot Holes westdrop-1
Why are con men always the good guys in movies? TettiTatti
more

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