As we move our way through Oscar month, we now arrive at the last caper film to win Best Picture: The Sting. The 1973 drama took home a whopping seven Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director (George Roy Hill), Best Original Screenplay (David S. Ward), Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design (Edith Head), Best Film Editing, and Best Original Score (Marvin Hamlisch). The film was also nominated for an additional three Oscars: Best Actor (Robert Redford), Best Cinematography and Best Sound. The Sting was a massive box office success and when adjusted for inflation, is one of the highest grossing films of all time. While not quite as spectacular as other Best Picture winners from the 1970's, The Sting is still a very entertaining caper film with a great ensemble and great chemistry between the leads.
The Sting tells the story of Johnny Hooker (Robert Redford), a con artist in Chicago. After him and fellow con artist Luther Coleman (Robert Earl Jones) con the wrong guy, Luther ends up dead and Johnny goes on a quest to con the man responsible. A recommendation from Luther leads Hooker to Henry Gondroff (Paul Newman), who put together a team to take on Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw), the crime boss who killed Luther. Hooker and Gondroff navigate the dangerous world of the "big con", where danger lies around every corner and a wrong movie can be the difference between life and death.
The Sting is in many ways similar to American Hustle. The 2013 con artist flick has many of the same elements and is even similar in its setup. Only the ending ends up a bit different. However, for me, American Hustle is a much more entertaining, high-energy film while The Sting is more elaborate and slower paced. That's not to say that The Sting is not a film that I enjoy. I actually really enjoy this film and there are quite a few positives that make this a memorable film. The soundtrack is addictive and incredible and the ensemble gives an incredible collective effort.
Robert Redford and Paul Newman have fantastic chemistry. They first proved that in 1969's Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and proved it again with The Sting. They work well together and both give fantastic individual performances as well. Robert Shaw gives my favorite performance of the film as the quiet, menacing Lonnegan. He gives a lot of energy to the role and is an absolute blast to watch. Also, this is a great ensemble picture and each additional member of the cast gives a lot of energy and enthusiasm to the picture.
The film is a bit slow at times, but it is very smooth and well plotted. One of my main problems with caper flicks is that they often get bogged down with all the twists and turns. They move too fast and don't give you the opportunity to understand everything that is going on with the film. That was my one and only problem with American Hustle. That's not the case with The Sting. I always felt like I knew what was going on with the plot. It moves fast, but it gives you enough time to soak in all the information thrown at you.
The atmosphere of the film also contributes so much to the overall experience. The score by Marvin Hamlisch is iconic in every way, shape and form and adds so much to the movie. The art direction is also fantastic and all of the colors pop off the screen. The city of Chicago is practically a character in this movie. The Sting is really such a beautifully designed film. It's also edited so that it feels authentic to the era it's portraying. This movie is technically brilliant and a lot of fun to watch at times.
My main problem with the film is that it just never really gripped me. I've watched the film twice at this point and I've never really felt very compelled or actually connected to the characters. I always enjoy the film, but it moves slow at times and it can be a bit bland. The film is colorful and entertaining, but can also be pretty dull at times.
Despite my qualms, The Sting is a very good film and one that I always enjoy. It's a brilliantly designed film and the performances are great as well. It has an interesting and intriguing plot and you can't guess what'll happen in the end until you actually see the ending. It's a film that I recommend watching. The Sting is a classic film that is led by two great actors whose chemistry was always stunning: Robert Redford and Paul Newman. The Sting will survive for a long time because these two actors will always be appealing to audiences. Period.
THE FINAL GRADE: B+
The Sting tells the story of Johnny Hooker (Robert Redford), a con artist in Chicago. After him and fellow con artist Luther Coleman (Robert Earl Jones) con the wrong guy, Luther ends up dead and Johnny goes on a quest to con the man responsible. A recommendation from Luther leads Hooker to Henry Gondroff (Paul Newman), who put together a team to take on Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw), the crime boss who killed Luther. Hooker and Gondroff navigate the dangerous world of the "big con", where danger lies around every corner and a wrong movie can be the difference between life and death.
The Sting is in many ways similar to American Hustle. The 2013 con artist flick has many of the same elements and is even similar in its setup. Only the ending ends up a bit different. However, for me, American Hustle is a much more entertaining, high-energy film while The Sting is more elaborate and slower paced. That's not to say that The Sting is not a film that I enjoy. I actually really enjoy this film and there are quite a few positives that make this a memorable film. The soundtrack is addictive and incredible and the ensemble gives an incredible collective effort.
Robert Redford and Paul Newman have fantastic chemistry. They first proved that in 1969's Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and proved it again with The Sting. They work well together and both give fantastic individual performances as well. Robert Shaw gives my favorite performance of the film as the quiet, menacing Lonnegan. He gives a lot of energy to the role and is an absolute blast to watch. Also, this is a great ensemble picture and each additional member of the cast gives a lot of energy and enthusiasm to the picture.
The film is a bit slow at times, but it is very smooth and well plotted. One of my main problems with caper flicks is that they often get bogged down with all the twists and turns. They move too fast and don't give you the opportunity to understand everything that is going on with the film. That was my one and only problem with American Hustle. That's not the case with The Sting. I always felt like I knew what was going on with the plot. It moves fast, but it gives you enough time to soak in all the information thrown at you.
The atmosphere of the film also contributes so much to the overall experience. The score by Marvin Hamlisch is iconic in every way, shape and form and adds so much to the movie. The art direction is also fantastic and all of the colors pop off the screen. The city of Chicago is practically a character in this movie. The Sting is really such a beautifully designed film. It's also edited so that it feels authentic to the era it's portraying. This movie is technically brilliant and a lot of fun to watch at times.
My main problem with the film is that it just never really gripped me. I've watched the film twice at this point and I've never really felt very compelled or actually connected to the characters. I always enjoy the film, but it moves slow at times and it can be a bit bland. The film is colorful and entertaining, but can also be pretty dull at times.
Despite my qualms, The Sting is a very good film and one that I always enjoy. It's a brilliantly designed film and the performances are great as well. It has an interesting and intriguing plot and you can't guess what'll happen in the end until you actually see the ending. It's a film that I recommend watching. The Sting is a classic film that is led by two great actors whose chemistry was always stunning: Robert Redford and Paul Newman. The Sting will survive for a long time because these two actors will always be appealing to audiences. Period.
THE FINAL GRADE: B+
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