The Father of Heist Movies

Journal Entry on The Sting

The Sting has so far been one of my favorite movies. Robert Redford and Paul Newman are an amazing pairing. Not only that, but there were so many actors that had that “hey, I've seen that person before!” reaction. For instance, the main antagonist, Lonnegan, played the “wise old man” in Jaws; Eileen Brennen, who played another con-artist, was in Murder by Death (one of my favorite movies); yet another of the con artists I had seen in the movie Johnny Dangerously. The cast was truly amazing and it made the movie all the better. You honestly believed that characters were real.

This movie, referentially, is about a sting operation, or con, of a large group of con-artists, against a bigwig crime boss, Lonnegan. Explicitly, the movie is about revenge. The con-artists are avenging the murder of a beloved friend. Implicitly, The Sting is about changing directions and getting a new start. Robert Redford's character has been working cons on the streets his entire life, but always “blows it” and never has anything left to show for his work. After the death of his mentor and friend he decides to change directions and try for a larger con, the payout for which he ends up declining anyway. If you look at the movie symptomaticly, though, one might look at the movie and see how the time period, the mid 1930's and all it's poverty, has affected people in the cities of the United States and what some resorted to in order to deal with day to day life.

Overall, I thought this was an amazing movie. The complexity was intense, and the audience was trying to figure out the twists and turns of the plot the entire time. This movie was kind of the start of the whole con movie genre. (The most popular of which might be the Ocean's movies). I think that the script and dialogue were perfect. You always knew what was going on (as much as the story wanted you to know, at least) and despite the enormous cast, it was easy to follow who was who. The sets and scenery were easy to follow and non-disruptive to the action. I really liked this movie, for so many reasons. It is easy to understand why The Sting is considered a classic.