THE STING [1973] review
October 23, 2008 · Print This Article
When a movie turns out to be not what I was expecting going in, I usually don’t like it. THE STING starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford was definitely not what I was expecting from a movie released in 1973 about a heist. But did I like it? Most definitely.
What was I expecting? A gritty 70s movie full of twists and some violence. I got all that, minus the grit, with minimal violence, but with the pluses of good humor, likable characters, and a certain charm running through the whole film.
I was expecting the movie to be set in the 70s, but it was set in 1936 which made me immediately apprehensive, I don’t like surprises in setting. Despite the annoying music that played over the major scene changes of the movie, I soon was able to forget it was seventy years ago and just enjoy watching Redford use his wits to move the story along.
Redford is a small-time con artist, who has something go very wrong with a con job, and turns to Newman to help him get revenge on the top man of the organization responsible for said thing going very wrong. What I appreciated about the characters Newman and Redford were playing was that they totally weren’t about the money. The were about just pulling the job off, and for Redford also getting revenge which Newman wisely warned won’t feel as good as you think it will.
Redford, in between plotting to bring the top man down, finds himself in a number of tight jams that add a lot of tension to the film. It’s nice to see believable stunt work on screen for a change instead of today’s CG nonsense.
THE STING is a very satisfying and entertaining movie.
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