Review #1445: The Sting.Cast:
Paul Newman (Henry "Shaw" Gondorff), Robert Redford (Johnny "Kelly" Hooker), Robert Shaw (Doyle Lonnegan), Charles Durning (Lt. William Snyder, Joliet P.D.), Ray Walston (J.J. Singleton), Eileen Brennan (Billie), Harold Gould (Kid Twist), John Heffernan (Eddie Niles), Dana Elcar (FBI Agent Polk), Dimitra Arliss (Loretta), Robert Earl Jones (Luther Coleman), and Jack Kehoe (Erie Kid) Directed by George Roy Hill (#962 - A Little Romance, #1178 - Slap Shot, and #1289 - Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid)
Review:
"I find publicity is distasteful and I don't think it does the picture any good to focus on the director. I think it's only a very small group of the public that really pays attention to the director. Lately it's come around to that the director is more of a star than he was, but I've never wanted that."
There are just some movies that are destined to become great works to endure, whether for their style, or for their execution in writing, directing, or the actors. This is a film that has all of those attributes to make for one of the most well-crafted experiences for the 1970s. It should only figure that a well-crafted film would come from a craftsman like George Roy Hill. He had served as a pilot in both World War II and the Korean War as a Marine while having studied at Yale and Trinity College (studying music and literature, respectively). He made his debut in the stage of Ireland before moving to Broadway, where he would later shift his attention to directing. After nearly a decade of writing/directing for anthology television and Broadway (on and off), he made his debut in motion pictures with Period of Adjustment (1962, an adaptation of the Tennessee Williams play that Hill directed). Although Hill did not garner as much respect as other directors of his time (perhaps in part because of his reluctance for self-promotion), he would direct fourteen films in 26 years (retiring to teach at Yale) through his firm style of directing that made him a favorite for actors in films with varying success such as Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), and Slap Shot (1977, now considered a cult classic). The script came from David S. Ward, graduate of both UCLA and USC film schools, whose only writing credit at the time was Steelyard Blues (1973). He was inspired to make a film about confidence men because he had never saw one about them before, having researched pickpockets (despite this, David Maurer, writer of The Big Con - a 1940 book that detailed real life grifters such as Fred and Charley Gondoroff, sued for plagiarism, which was settled after the film's release to the disappointment of Ward).
One doesn't need to say how much power Newman and Redford have in chemistry together, both having come from Broadway to film to become icons by the time of this film, their second of two films together. They are quality stars that bask into a quality script that gives them room to engage in some amusement alongside setting up the audience in confidence for the big con that resonates as a wonderful emulation of 1930s films with great style. It is escapism of the highest order for all to see and hear. Redford proves as capable as ever in exuding confidence and care for a role worth having so much self assurance and timing to go with it, a set-up man with plenty of charm to go around. Newman proves just as alluring in traditional confidence that can be just as amusing as Redford with plenty of ways of building people up, such as when he engages in a poker game with Shaw while pretending to be drunk and getting the better of him through a few jokes and careful handling. Shaw (who also was a novelist and playwright when not in the theater or films) proves resilient as the heavy for the film, having a striking quality to him that makes him a perfect mark and contrast to the others in the film that lurks in our attention without turning into a caricature. Durning (a prolific character actor of stage, television, and film) proves the perfect foil authority, one with brute convictions that makes a perfect mark. Walston and Gould (both prolific character actors) make for quality acts to help set up the background of making the con go with class, while Brennan rounds out the focus points with care, whereas others get brief but meaningful moments (such as an allusive Arlisss or a warm Jones for the first con of the film). One never finds anything they see or hear to be a distraction, playing a long game in delivering entertainment for its audience with a mix of humor and caper style to tremendous effect, where the 129 minutes slip away with no trouble in following it all the way with details. It is interesting that the film works so well as a film attempting to look like the 1930s with its cinematography by Robert Surtees, editing from William Reynolds and costuming by Edith Head that goes with a music score (done by Marvin Hamlisch) that adapts early 20th century ragtime music from Scott Joplin (ragtime, although outdated by the 1930s actually experienced a revival in the 1970s, with "The Entertainer" being a great tune to listen to) to make for such an involving experience. Perhaps it isn't surprising that this film received numerous accolades as a tremendous hit for the time, with Hill, Ward, Reynolds, Head, Hamlisch each winning Academy Awards for their work (along with wins for Best Production Design and Best Picture). In the long run, this is one of the most entertaining films of its time, one that serves as a gem for Hill, Redford, and Newman in captivating a sharp winner that holds true in great craftsmanship and planning after over four decades to make for a grand legacy worth checking out.
Overall, I give it 10 out of 10 stars.
