IMDb > The Sting (1973)
The Sting
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The Sting (1973) More at IMDbPro »

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The Sting (1973) -- In 1930s Chicago, a young con man seeking revenge for his murdered partner teams up with a master of the big con to win a fortune from a criminal banker.
The Sting (1973) -- In 1930s Chicago, a young con man seeking revenge for his murdered partner teams up with a master of the big con to win a fortune from a criminal banker.
The Sting (1973) -- Sinematurk - Trailer (Flash)

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Overview

User Rating:
MOVIEmeter: ?
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Director:
Writer (WGA):
David S. Ward (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Sting on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
10 January 1974 (Argentina) more
Genre:
Tagline:
Recapture "the STING Experience". REMEMBER HOW GOOD THE FEEL WAS THE FIRST TIME (re-release) more
Plot:
In 1930s Chicago, a young con man seeking revenge for his murdered partner teams up with a master of the big con to win a fortune from a criminal banker. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Won 7 Oscars. Another 9 wins & 6 nominations more
User Comments:
The clever plot makes multiple viewings mandatory for full enjoyment... more (181 total)
US TV Schedule:

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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Additional Details

Runtime:
129 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
According to costume designer Edith Head's biography, Robert Redford and Paul Newman, both of whom have blue eyes, wanted their shirts to be blue in order to emphasize their eyes. As a compromise, Head outfitted each man in blue in alternating scenes. Unfortunately, although it is an attractive story, it's a complete myth. A simple viewing of the film reveals the truth. Newman is never outfitted in blue in the whole film. He is first seen in a white vest in the brothel scenes. On the train he alternates between a brown striped shirt and a white one, which may or may not be a continuity error. From then until the end of the film, he is seen exclusively in a dinner jacket and white shirt. Redford wears a blue shirt on a couple of occasions, but even this doesn't really fit with this oddly persistent legend. more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: The hundred dollar bills shown in the suit case were modern Federal Reserve Notes (with a 2-line legal tender notice and no on-demand clause), which were not printed until 1963. more
Quotes:
Billie: Who told you this guy was in here?
Lieutenant William Snyder: Nobody. I just know what kind of woman he likes. Going to check all the joy houses till I find him.
Billie: Oh, well maybe I could help you, if you tell me his name.
Lieutenant William Snyder: I doubt it. Which way are the rooms?
Billie: Right through there. But I wouldn't go in there if I were you.
Lieutenant William Snyder: What you are going to do, call the cops?
Billie: I don't have to. You'd be busting in on the Chief of Police just up the hall.
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in The Ultimate Film (2004) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
SOLACE more

FAQ

How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
Why didn't Lonegan know who Hooker was, despite having ordered him killed?
They seemed to have an awful lot of overhead for a half million payout. Is it worth it?
more
28 out of 34 people found the following comment useful.
The clever plot makes multiple viewings mandatory for full enjoyment..., 14 May 2005
9/10
Author: Neil Doyle from U.S.A.

THE STING is so full of twists and turns at every unexpected moment that it never stops drawing you into all of its traps. All of it is performed at a fast clip and the performances have all the nuances needed to keep you entertained and in suspense.

Sparked by perfect period detail, a Scott Joplin piano score courtesy of Marvin Hamlisch and grand performances, it is gritty and at all times entertaining--it deserves to be seen more than once to relish all the tricks you missed the first time.

For full enjoyment, a plot description is better left for the first time viewer to discover so I won't give any plot details here.

The three central performances are perfection--Robert Redford, so comfortable in a role he was obviously born to play, Paul Newman, the epitome of a confidence trickster and Robert Shaw as the man who falls hard for The Sting. Newman and Redford are even more at home here than they were as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

No wonder it won so many '73 Oscars--including Best Picture. A film to relish again and again, with scenes that never lose their punch. The story is full of clever touches that will hook you into the 1930s atmosphere and have you waiting for the knockout ending.

Watch for the scene of Redford and the waitress he seeks out at 2:00 a.m. It's the kind of acting that can melt your heart.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Sting (1973)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Not trying to be mean- but why were all the women UGLY?? McHinch
Why are con men always the good guys in movies? TettiTatti
William Benedict as Roulette Dealer (Cheating) avalonrock
Problems with the poker game from The Sting jsampras3
Two Plot Holes westdrop-1
Parade Magazine calls The Sting... bctelecom
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