Dec. 18, 2002 - 12:52 pm
this is my second or third time seeing The Sting. in any case, i don't remember the last time i saw it. this one won Best Picture for 1973 and is number 61 on the IMDb today. it also won 6 other Oscars besides Best Picture. pretty strong showing i'd say. it's one of the two big Robert Redford/Paul Newman vehicles from this time. ...see also Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969). interesting fact if you didn't know it already: The Sundance Film Festival, started in part by Robert Redford (a great lover of independent film), got its name from his character in that movie.
but The Sting is about a bunch of con artists who decide to con one of the biggest number running Kings in the nation out of a half million dollars. they're doing it because he had one of Robert Redford's small time friends taken out. he basically wants revenge and goes to see Paul Newman's character who is a sort of expert at "the big con."
this movie is billed as a comedy. i find that hard to believe. i don't really remember laughing one time throughout this movie. it's basically a crime drama. there are some light-hearted moments i guess, but nothing to really warrant calling it a comedy. i think the comedic element could've greatly improved this film in general. i think it was done very well in Ocean's Eleven (2001). that film has all of the twists and turns that The Sting has, but with a lot more and better comedy in it. so i guess if you're picking between the two, choose Ocean's Eleven...the new version. i hear the old one really isn't worth watching.
i can't believe it. i actually came up with 5 films that i want to check out without searching the IMDb list for names. should be an interesting week to follow...