The Sting (1973)

The Sting is a fast-moving, stylish crime caper set in the 1930s that blends sharp humor with high-stakes suspense. After a small-time grifter, Johnny Hooker, and his mentor Luther unknowingly steal from the courier of ruthless racketeer Doyle Lonnegan, Luther is murdered in retaliation. Hooker flees to Chicago and recruits Henry Gondorff, a retired master of the “long con,” to help mount an elaborate revenge: assemble a team of specialists and run a complicated confidence game big enough to swindle Lonnegan out of a fortune. What you’ll experience: a clever, carefully layered puzzle of schemes and counter-schemes, populated by colorful grifters, crooked cops, and violent enforcers. The film alternates tense, edge-of-your-seat moments (threats, hits and near-discoveries) with wry, often playful con artist banter as the team constructs an elaborate faux world to trick their mark. Complications and unexpected obstacles force last-minute improvisation, ratcheting suspense and rewarding payoff. Tone-wise it’s equal parts comedy and crime drama: the mood is playful and theatrical but the stakes are deadly serious, so the laughs sit beside genuine danger. Period detail and the choreography of the scams are satisfying to watch—if you enjoy clever plotting, surprises, and the artistry of deception, this movie delivers a tense, entertaining ride with a smart, gratifying conclusion.

Actors: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Robert Shaw

Director: George Roy Hill

Runtime: 129 min

Genres: Comedy, Crime, Drama

8.5 /10 83 /100 8.3 /10 8.4 /10