The Sting

Directed by George Roy Hill, The Sting follows a couple of con men (Paul Newman’s Henry Gondorff and Robert Redford’s Johnny Hooker) as they team up to bilk a mob boss (Robert Shaw’s Doyle Lonnegan) out of a huge sum of money. Filmmaker Hill, armed with David S. Ward’s screenplay, delivers an overlong yet mostly engaging effort that benefits from its lighthearted, surprising narrative and raft of above-average performances, as, in terms of the latter, Hill elicits predictably commanding and charming work from both Newman and Redford that’s matched by top-notch periphery players – including Charles Durning, Ray Walston, Eileen Brennan, and Harold Gould. (Shaw’s deliciously menacing turn as the film’s imperious villain remains an ongoing highlight, certainly.) And while the picture’s 129 minute running-time admittedly does result in a handful of palpable lulls, with this particularly true of a sluggish buildup to the film’s climax, The Sting, which does conclude with a thoroughly captivating and satisfying final stretch, primarily comes off as a terrific endeavor that holds up remarkably well all these years later.

*** out of ****