Cheap The Sting (DVD) (Paul Newman, Robert Redford) (George Roy Hill) Price

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Customer Reviews of The Sting

"The Sting" is perhaps the best con artist film ever made. Robert Redford and Paul Newman team up again, and in my opinion have better chemistry in this film, then they did in "Butch Casidy and The Sundance Kid". Both of them are outstanding in their roles. Robert Shaw is perfect as Doyle Lonnegan. Gives the perfect portrayal of a ruthless mob boss. Watching Redford and Newman con him is extremely satisfying. The supporting cast was great as well, and included performances from Dana Elcar, Eileen Brennan, Ray Walston, Charles Durning, and Harold Gould. The musical score, is perhaps one of the best musical scores ever created. Played solely on the piano, it manages to go along perfectly with every scene. Also the set and costume designs are beautifully done. They are extremely authentic to the 1930's version of Chicago! But the best thing about the film, is the actual "Sting". It is one of the greatest double crosses in movie history! The film is shot brilliantly, because you see the events unfold one by one. In a film where there is a lot of twists and turns, you don't want to be confused, or be left asking "Why?". The reason "The Sting" succeeds, is because everything is laid out extremely well, and there are no loose ends. "The Sting" was the winner of 7 Academy Awards in 1973 including Best Picture, Best Director - George Roy Hill, and Best Original Screenplay - David S. Ward.

If I was giving a review for just the film, it would be 5 stars hands down. However, I have to give a 3 star rating because of how bad the DVD is itself. I can't understand the horrible DVD treatment from Universal. There are no extras whatsoever, and it only comes in full screen format. Overall, this is a must own just for the film itself. But, you should probably go with the VHS version in this case.

THIS ONE REALLY STINGS!
"The Sting" is a classic throwback to Hollywood's golden age: a fish out of water tale about a couple of con artists (Paul Newman and Robert Redford) who seemingly meet their match in a cheating mobster (Robert Shaw). As the police close in from one end and the Mafia from the other, the stakes become higher, the comedy more hilarious and the ultimate con, more rewarding. The supporting cast is a potpourri of stellar characters including Dana Elcar, Eileen Brennan, Ray Walston, Charles Durning, and Harold Gould. Marvin Hamlisch provides a sophisticated score buttressed by Scott Joplin's ragtime jazz.

It is disheartening to see an Oscar wining Best Picture get so shabby a treatment on DVD. For starters, the film is presented in a full frame, pan and scan version only. The shortcomings of this format are that you are not seeing the film in a version director, George Roy Hill would have approved of. But apart from Universal's glaringly obvious oversight, the print quality of "The Sting" suffers from a poorly balanced color spectrum, age related artifacts, edge enhancement, shimmering of fine details and pixelization. Flesh tones are often weak and pasty. Blacks are rarely solid or deep. Fine grain can be excessive in spots. The audio is poorly mixed, sounding strident and tinny. There are no extra features.

Redford and Newman at it again
I just rented this DVD and watched the whole thing, but I've seen this movie several times before.

Johnny Hooker (Robert Redford) is a con artist who unknowingly swindles a lackey of crime boss Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw). After Hooker's partner in the crime is killed, Hooker vows revenge against Lonnegan and seeks Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman), one of the best cons in the game to help in the big Sting. Hooker would love to do more than just hit Lonnegan for a lot of money, but "doesn't know enough about killin' to kill him."

It's not easy separating a crime boss from his money, especially when he owns half the politicians and police. They have to take him without him even knowing he was taken. What follows is an exciting deception, carried out with professionalism and ingenuity.

I don't think the chemistry between Newman and Redford is quite as good as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, but it's still pretty darn good. Lines like this:

Redford (first seeing his arch-enemy): "He's not as tough as he thinks."
Newman: "Neither are we"

The story is classic. You don't exactly know who's who, and you wonder how they're going to pull it off in the end. Scott Joplin's ragtime music, although somewhat anachronistic, is effective at keeping the movie somewhat lighthearted. There are a couple of instances of swearing and a stripper with pasties on, which gives it a PG rating.

The reason for four stars is the fact that the DVD has NO EXTRAS, and the only option is the full screen version, no widescreen. A movie as good as this deserves better, which is unfortunate.

Overall, this is a great movie with great cinematography (transition wipe effects and some tracking shots) and phenomenal acting. Enjoy.