Review: The Sting

Directed by: George Roy Hill

Written by: David S. Ward

Starring: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Robert Shaw, Eileen Brennan, Charles Durning

Rating: [5/5]

Through happenstance or on purpose, a duo of actors finding the commonality to work together to deliver sensational results always feels like a treat. It creates a pattern to follow and individuals who know that when combining their powers they can create something magnificent. The Sting very much represents this for Robert Redford and Paul Newman as they help craft something unbelievably fun and twisty. 

On the run after a heist against the wrong guy. Johnny Hooker (Robert Redford) makes his way to Chicago to solicit the help of Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman) to put together a con against a very dangerous man. While playing in the wasp’s nest and being hounded down by the police, these two try to plan the perfect con. 

Nothing can quite deliver the exhilaration and thrills of a con movie in the way it can set up something in its story only to pull the rug under the audience and have us thank them for it. When done right, these films can leave an immeasurable impression and none other in this genre measure up to what we receive here in The Sting. It sets up quite the situation and allows the story to unfold in a way where we have no clue when the big twists will occur but when it does the reveal lands so well encapsulating what makes these characters so captivating. 

Inherently con movies need to layer their story so well because they need to obviously con the mark of the story, but also the audience as well. In that sense, we also exist as a mark the feature needs to trick. If the audience picks up on the ultimate reveal too early, it limits the overall impact of what the feature wants to evoke. Then there’s the issue of having far too many twists where the story no longer feels grounded and gets absurd where nothing makes sense. This makes a good con film so difficult to craft and this feature continues to stand as the standard all others need to live up to not only because of its story but because of the cast assembled to display it all. 

Having this film with anyone other than the dynamic duo of Robert Redford and Paul Newman would not have yielded the same results even with the story containing excellence in its own right. Through Newman and Redford, we have two of the most charismatic actors to ever grace the silver screen and when they work together they somehow magnify each other’s greatness to an incalculable level. It’s truly a shame they only ever collaborated together on two occasions but they just so happen to be this film and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The greatest con movie and one of the best Westerns ever puts their combined works in great company as they manage to build each other up so well. 

In this particular story, they work in a similar manner as in the Western where Newman serves as the older wiser figure and Redford the younger and more naive one of the pair. Bringing this dynamic into a heist film allows for the relative immaturity of Hooker to stand out compared to the calmer and calculated demeanor of Gondorff to make an impressionable difference in the story. They each effortlessly bring on the charm of what they have to offer as on-screen personalities. These two adequately sell everything in order for this con to go through making the major reveals very believable. 

The con, in itself, seeks to trick a very dangerous man in Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw) into placing a wager at this fake bookie they will construct. The goal is to make him believe he’s making a can’t-lose bet only to have it all taken away from him in the process to the tune of $500,000. Getting to this stage requires plenty of build-up, which this feature methodically takes us through the process of setting up as Hooker and Gorndoff lay out all of the pieces in order for this to work. It certainly involves some skill but also some lucky breaks as they try to mess with someone with the power and willingness to take out anyone he even feels has duped him and he does not even realize he’s been looking for Hooker the whole time, which initially caused the young man to flee to Chicago. 

This con comes with so much danger attached as they feel pressure on two sides, not only the presence of Doyle Lonnegan and how he could end their lives quite easily but also the police trying o take down Hooker and the FBI in their quest for Gondorff. Therefore, these two men must escape the clutches of law enforcement as well as tightly maneuver around a very violent and dangerous man at the same time leaving very little room for error. As we all know, to err is human or at the very least the feature wants us to think that. 

Even with this pressure on them, this feature remains something so easily entertaining and a beautiful source of escapism. The situation these two find themselves in sits so far outside of any circumstance would find themselves in but rooted in some very real dangers to allow for quite the joyous viewing experience. Moving efficiently through this feature, it employs some excellent pacing to keep each scene engaging and further the plot in a manner that reminds us of everything at stake for these characters. 

A bonafide classic rightfully garnering the reputation it has, The Sting employs two of the most charismatic actors to ever work in front of a camera to piece together a light, entertaining, but also well-crafted feature. The film employs just enough twists to keep everyone on their toes but also keeps everything somewhat believable in what they manage to pull off. Robert Redford and Paul Newman both contribute heavily to what makes it so easy to follow along as the latter’s piercing blue eyes really stand out here. Adding in Robert Shaw feels like sprinkles on an already wonderful cake as he adds his menacing presence as Doyle Lonnegan ensuring this feature delivers on everything it seeks to accomplish and doing so in excellence.