The Sting (1973)

Wanna Bet?

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Buy The Sting: Legacy Series Edition on DVD.

Paul Newman and Robert Redford re-teamed after their successful Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) for George Roy Hill's The Sting, a Depression-era tale of con men. Redford gets the lion's share of screen time as a small-time grifter who wants revenge for the death of his mentor and partner. With the help of Newman, he sets up a complex horseracing scheme to rope and capture a shady hood (Robert Shaw). Today, The Sting is still fairly entertaining, though its tricky twists have been co-opted by many subsequent films, and there's no getting around the fact that the movie, at 130 minutes, is way too long. But Hill's dedication to the period detail and the film's bursts of energy make it a pleasant viewing experience. It was a hugely popular hit and won the Oscar for Best Picture, though it's really not as good as Mean Streets, The Long Goodbye or Badlands, all released the same year.

DVD Details: Universal has released a deluxe two-disc set with re-mastered Dolby audio. Extras include several featurettes about the making of the film and about the writer and the director.

Starring: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Robert Shaw, Charles Durning, Ray Walston, Eileen Brennan
Written by: David S. Ward
Directed by: George Roy Hill
MPAA Rating: PG
Running Time: 130 minutes
Date: September 23, 2005