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The Sting
1973
Hoping that box-office lighting might strike twice, George Roy Hill again joined forces with Paul Newman and Robert Redford, who star as con men Henry Gondorff and Johnny Hooker in THE STING. In the Chicago of the 1930s, Johnny's partner, Luther (Robert Earl Jones), is fatally wounded by a victim of one of their scams who turns .. Read more
| Starring | Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Robert Shaw, Eileen Brennan |
|---|---|
| Director | George Roy Hill |
| Genres | Comedy |
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The Sting
Hoping that box-office lighting might strike twice, George Roy Hill again joined forces with Paul Newman and Robert Redford, who star as con men Henry Gondorff and Johnny Hooker in THE STING. In the Chicago of the 1930s, Johnny's partner, Luther (Robert Earl Jones), is fatally wounded by a victim of one of their scams who turns out to be powerful syndicate boss Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw). Eager for revenge, Johnny takes a tip from his dying partner and seeks out mutual friend Gondorff, a consummate master of the long con. Gondorff rouses himself from his alcoholic inertia and agrees to help Johnny take down the despicable Lonnegan, conscripting an army of grifters ready to avenge their friend's death. The labyrinthine plot, which is stuffed with false leads, red herrings, and a double-cross-a-minute, involves a fake bookie joint, a very persistent FBI agent, a bunch of corrupt cops, and one shifty dame. An extremely entertaining film, the Oscar-winning film transcends the genre through the superb acting of the three leads, the keen attention to the re-creation of period detail, and a fiendishly intricate script that cons audiences completely. The wonderful score, which became immensely popular, featured Marvin Hamlisch's orchestral transcriptions of Scott Joplin's piano rags; the film led to a revival of interest in the composer. The film is one of the most entertaining films of the 1970s and lives up to its hype on repeat viewings.
| Starring | Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Robert Shaw, Eileen Brennan, Dana Elcar, Harold Gould, Jack Kehoe, Sally Kirkland, John Quade, James Sloyan, Brad Sullivan, Ray Walston, Ed Bakey, Avon Long, Charles Durning, Charles Dierkop |
|---|---|
| Director | George Roy Hill |
| Studio | UCA |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs 4 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Comedy |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Dubbed | French, German, Italian, Spanish |
| Subtitles | DVD: Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Swedish |
| Released | DVD: 11 Aug 2003 Production year: 1973 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (3)
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These things rarely come off, but the reteaming of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid stars Paul Newman and Robert Redford and their director George Roy Hill proved to be a glorious triumph, and this period romp raced away with seven Oscars. Newman and Redford play conmen who, after the death of an old chum, set about fleecing dangerous mobster Robert Shaw out of a fortune. The sting itself is as audacious as it is elaborate, but the real pleasure comes from the easy, charismatic playing of the two leads, the lovingly created 1930s settings and Marvin Hamlisch's inspired reworking of Scott Joplin's music. The excellent supporting cast includes Charles Durning, Eileen Brennan and Ray Walston.
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Bright, likeable, but overlong, unconvincingly studio-set and casually developed comedy suspenser cashing in on star charisma but riding to enormous success chiefly on its tinkly music and the general lack of simple entertainment.
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Most helpful member's review
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6 out of 8 people found this review helpful
This award-winning movie will not dissapoint. Memorable performances by both Newman and Redford make this movie an absolute classic.
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Most recent members' review
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1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
TOP MOVIE !!!
Four years after setting box offices ablaze in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Paul Newman, Robert Redford, and director George Roy Hill reteamed with similar success for The Sting. Redford plays Depression-era confidence trickster Johnny Hooker, whose friend and mentor Luther Coleman (Robert Earl Jones) is murdered by racketeer/gambler Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw). Hoping to avenge Luther's death, Johnny begins planning a 'sting'--an elaborate scam--to destroy Lonnegan. He enlists the aid of 'the greatest con artist of them all,' Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman), who pulls himself out of a drunken stupor and rises to the occasion. Hooker and Gondorff gather together an impressive array of con men, all of whom despise Lonnegan and wish to settle accounts on behalf of Luther. The twists and surprises that follow are too complex to relate in detail: suffice to say that you can't cheat an honest man, and that you shouldn't accept everything at face value. The Sting became one of the biggest hits of the early 1970s: grossing $68,450,000 during its first run, the film also picked up seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Adapted Score for Marvin Hamlisch's unforgettable setting of Scott Joplin's ragtime music.
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News and features
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Styler offers Chevron employees the chance to see hard-hitting film for free
- 28 Sep 2009
Sting's wife Trudie Styler has invited 6,000 Chevron employees in the San Francisco, California area to view her new film Crude for free when it opens this weekend (25Sep09). The documentary, which Styler produced, takes a look at the devastation oil companies like Chevron have created in the rainforests of Ecuador, where clean water is no longer available and animal species and indigenous tribespeople are dying at an alarming rate. The documentary also chronicles the $27 billion lawsuit... Read more
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The Sting
Hoping that box-office lighting might strike twice, George Roy Hill again joined forces with Paul Newman and Robert Redford, who star as con men Henry Gondorff and Johnny Hooker in THE STING. In the Chicago of the 1930s, Johnny's partner, Luther (Robert Earl Jones), is fatally wounded by a victim ...
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