The Sting (1972)

Cast: Paul Newman (Henry Gondorff), Robert Redford (Johnny Hooker), Charles Durning (Lt. Wm. Snyder)

Director: George Roy Hill

Genre: Drama/ Crime/ Comedy


There’s no way I could possibly improve upon The Sting. I don’t intend to try. My critiques, whether good or bad, are like tin to a king. It took a while for me to figure out what was going on but once the film really got under way, I picked up on the plot immediately. So, what is “the sting?” Well, the “sting” is the con! The big con!! This is a crime film with a small hint of comedy. This film is creativity at its best. It's so creative that it won 7 Oscars, 9 other movie awards and 6 nominations. Robert Redford, ever fitting his role like the pro he is, plays a young con-artist Johnny Hooker. Hooker pulls a swindle with his partner Luther (Robert Earl Jones), which they both assume is no different than the other con jobs they’ve done. Little do they know that the victim of their con is a courier for a numbers runner under the payroll of Doyle Lonigan (Robert Shaw)- a big shot Irish mobster. Soon after, Luther is found murdered in the alley behind his apartment. When Hooker hears the news of his partner’s death, he is determined to get revenge on Lonigan. He partners with Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman) to pull the biggest of all cons. It will take a lot of steam, effort, deception, and serious acting to keep the gig rolling. All that’s important is not to give themselves away. The only thing that could possibly blow their cover is police Lt. Snyder (Charles Durning). Snyder will stop at nothing to get his hands on Hooker and bring him to justice. Perhaps it’s the greatest sting in crime history. The story moves along smoothly and still pulls you in. It’s difficult to make out which situations are part of the job and which aren’t. It’s surprising to find out who’s working for who, and if something goes wrong… was it supposed to? Incredible film! Certainly worth a watch- so long as you keep in mind who the bad guys really are. It’s fairly family oriented save for some violence and a dance hall scene at the start of the film!