The Sting | Full Reaction
Added 2025-09-20 20:01:56 +0000 UTCI watched this film to honor the recent passing of Robert Redford. He has been in so many incredible movies over the years, and apparently even directed some as well! Over the summer, I saw him in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (thanks to KJ Gould's movie ticket pick), and of course I'll never forget him going up against Nick Fury in Captain America: The Winter Soldier lol. But seeing him here in The Sting, at what feels like the peak of his charisma π», was something really special. Especially paired up with Paul Newman again!
This movie was an absolute masterclass in storytelling! It sweeps you along with charm, wit, and razor-sharp tension that makes you lean closer and closer in with every twist. I spent the whole movie laughing hysterically at every clever con, only to realize by the end that I had been completely conned myself π
Robert Redford was just shining in this movie. There was such spark in his performance! So much mischief and heart. It took me to an era that reminded me why stories like this endure. RIP Robert Redford. Your work will forever keep shining on. π€
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Relax and enjoy πΏπΏ
LINK: https://youtu.be/kKZ50hLslVs
I watched this on Amazon Prime
Comments
Awesome that was a lot of fun watching it with you
Straycat
2025-09-22 02:58:43 +0000 UTCThank you so much for this! I feel like I learned a whole new layer of this movie from your breakdown and I love that! This movie was surprisingly super fast paced! So I think it's one of those that really benefit from a second, third, tenth watch for sure. Especially after learning more from this comment about the horse bet lingo lol! Also, definitely guilty as charged saying Redford and Newman are gorgeous! I'll stand by it too haha π You've convinced me that I need more heist films! Richard in the comments also mentioned "Oceans" series so I'll definitely add that one to my series list that I've got cooking. Thank you again for sharing this movie with me! I loved it so much!
Kali Wali
2025-09-21 21:49:48 +0000 UTCKali, now you see why I referred to this film as "quintessential"! The acting is fantastic, the sets are superb, the cons are brilliant, and the biggest con of all is on the viewers! One thing that I love is that the film frequently warns you what's about to happen, but you don't yet understand what you're seeing, so it doesn't spoil the plot. For example, when Hooker was getting ready on the final morning, he tested the fit of the blood capsules that would later create the illusion he had been shot. But if you don't know what they are, then it doesn't spoil the surprise, and it gives you the satisfaction of looking back later and realizing, "Oh, *that's* what he was doing!" Regarding Redford and Newman, at one point you said, "They're both so handsome!" Yes, my friend, even I think they're gorgeous men! π The slang from this era can be confusing. A perfect example is Gondorff telling Hooker about the old days: "Of course, Chicago was a rigged town. The fix was in. The dicks took their end without a beef." That slang would *not* mean the same thing today! Of course, what Gondorff was saying was that all of the games of "chance" in Chicago were rigged, and the police took bribes to look the other way without any fuss. You figured out most of the slang, but here are a few period terms: * To "grift" someone is to run a con on them, and a "grifter" is a con artist. * Near the beginning, they referred to the head mobster, whom we meet later as Doyle Lonnegan, as the "Big Mick," which seemed to confuse you. "Mick" is a pejorative term for Irish, because so many Irish names begin with "Mc". * You figured out that "dick" is slang for a cop, probably just a shortened form of "detective." * "Flatfoot" is another slang term for a cop, stemming from when beat cops used to walk their patrol routes instead of driving them. * Lt. Snyder said he was part of the "bunco squad," which is slang for a police department that handles fraud and related crimes. * "Everything will be Jake." Yup, that's a cool way to say, "Everything will be fine!" * You looked a bit confused in the scene when Hooker and Gondorff first met. Gondorff took a huge chunk of ice out of a box and put in the sink to cool off the tap water. That's how they did it until residential refrigerators became widely available after WW II. And that's why some people call a freezer and "ice box" to this day. A few plot points: Hooker waited so long to tell Gondorff about Lt. Snyder because Gondorff had warned him that they might have to fold the con if there was too much pressure. The reason that Hooker spent the night with Loretta Salino, aside from the obvious, is that he couldn't risk going back to his own place. Remember that Lonnegan's men had already staked it out and tried to kill him there once. I loved your expression at the Salino reveal! It's such a great twist that the audience doesn't see coming. Remember back to when Lonnegan first arrived in Chicago. The first two hitmen, Riley and Cole, had failed to kill Hooker (because he cleverly left a scrap of paper in his door jamb), so Lonnegan gave the contract to "Salino" instead, who was apparently one of his best killers. The underboss warned that Cole might still try to kill Hooker, and Lonnegan replied: "This is Salino's job, Vince. Cole wants to muscle in on it, that's his business, but he's breaking the rules and Salino won't like it." Cole was the guy waiting outside the diner to kill Hooker. He chased him down an alleyway but lost him. When he turned around, he looked surprised and muttered "Salino!" just before she killed him for muscling in on her contract. Remember that she had been in the diner just around the corner, so she obviously followed them to the alleyway. I can't tell if you picked up the subtlety, but "win", "place", and "show" are racing terms meaning to finish 1st, 2nd, and 3rd respectively. The supposed confusion was that the "inside man" told Lonnegan to "Place it on Lucky Dan..." He meant to bet that Lucky Dan would finish second, but Lonnegan misunderstood (by design, of course) and bet on Lucky Dan to win instead. Your reaction to the big twist was so enjoyable! Your sadness when Gondorff looked at Hooker after the "betrayal". Then the sudden shock and confusion of the double shooting. You even quoted Cassie (from Popcorn in Bed): "Oh, my gosh! He shot him in the back!" And then your gasp of surprise when they turned Hooker's body over to reveal that he was "dead". And then Lonnegan even got away! You chewed your lip and slowly shook your head. Why would such a fun movie end this way? Then your mouth just dropped open as the "FBI" were revealed to be just more grifters! Slowly the scope of the entire con was finally revealed. First, they had taken Lonnegan for half a million dollars, the equivalent of nearly twelve million in today's money. No wonder there was enough to pay all of the crew who had participated! Second, they had ensured that Lonnegan wouldn't come after them because he thought they were *both* dead. And, third, they had gotten Lt. Snyder off of Hooker's case permanently for the same reason. So brilliant! Kali, it's obvious you're ready for more heist films! Your letterboxd page indicates you haven't seen any of the "Oceans" movies, so Oceans 11 (2001) is a great place to go next. You'll love the star-studded cast and the intricacies of the plot! Looking forward to it!
Phil Stubblefield
2025-09-21 09:46:39 +0000 UTCThat ending LOL. Here I was thinking I was on top of their plan the whole time, only to realize I knew nothing. Gave me flashbacks to the feeling after finishing The Illusionist haha. This was such a well written, and amazingly acted movie that really made me feel all the twists and turns. The poker scene was so intense! Took me back to some of the crazy poker hands I had to play back in RDR2 trying to 100% the game hahaha I love how much you hyped up this movie at the beginning, with Popcorn in Bed's recommendation, and calling out all the Oscars it had won! I honestly had never heard of this movie prior, so that got me really excited to jump in. Really happy you called the audible and pulled this one into your schedule this week! Really fun movie, and the perfect way to honor Robert Redford
M1 Maz
2025-09-21 01:43:49 +0000 UTCWhen Gondorff and Hooker are playing cards, what you thought were matchsticks are cribbage pegs. They're moved along the board in a leapfrog fashion to keep track of the score during gameplay.
Tim Heron
2025-09-21 00:43:29 +0000 UTC
