The Sting (1973)

 ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

The Sting (1973) – G. R. Hill

Robert Redford is the petty grifter who makes a big score on the street in 1936 but attracts the attention of mobster Robert Shaw who promptly arranges for his partner to be killed.  Redford escapes to Chicago to team up with Paul Newman, an expert in the “big con”, currently washed up.  Together, they recruit a team to run a fake bookie operation to ensnare Shaw.  Director George Roy Hill uses cinematic techniques from the Thirties (wipes, iris-in or out, slapstick-style chases) and Marvin Hamlisch famously adapted Scott Joplin rags (“The Entertainer”) for the soundtrack to get that period feel.  At times, with some over-lapping dialogue and some wistful inter-titles, it almost feels Altman-esque.  The plot twists might even catch you by surprise (or not – it doesn’t really matter). In sum, The Sting is good fun.