Classic Movie Pick: ‘The Sting’ is a riveting and violent gangster flick brought to life by the all-stars of 1970s Hollywood

This week’s classic honors screen legend Robert Redford, who passed away earlier this week.

By all accounts, Robert Redford did not waste a single year of his long life or career, which saw him turn out hit movies from both in front and behind the camera. My personal favorite is “The Sting.” This absolute classic from 1973 features some of the best actors of the 1970s, one of the best directors from the era, and some of the most iconic music of all time. 

“The Sting” takes us back to 1936 and introduces us to a subculture of grifters. The story starts in Joliet, Illinois, where the up-and-coming Johnny Hooker, played by Redford, pulls a con with legendary Luther Coleman, played by Robert Earl Jones. As it turns out, the man they robbed was a bagman for Doyle Lonnegan, a ruthless New York Mobster. When Luther turns up dead, Johnny heads to the south side of Chicago, where he is taken under the wing of legendary con-man Henry Gondorff, played by Paul Newman.

The duo joins forces with a team of grifters to avenge the death of their friend Luther. The plan? Get on a train headed for Chicago from New York, get into a card game where Doyle Lonnegan is a regular, take all his money and get under his skin, which is exactly what Gondorff does beautifully.

Then, you get Robert Redford to pose as Gondorff’s right-hand man and cozy up to the big gangster, and convince him he can get revenge, knowing that Lonnegan craves it.

Newman, Redford and their team of grifters set up a fake horse racing wire in an effort to get Lonnegan to put down what he thinks is a sure bet. 

“The Sting” is directed by George Roy Hill, who also directed Newman and Redford in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” as well as the hockey cult classic “Slap Shot,” which also stared Paul Newman. Hill was a big fan of Ragtime legend Scott Joplin and knew the music would work perfectly in the film. The success of “The Sting” was responsible for bringing Scott Joplin’s music into the mainstream decades after his death in 1917. 

Some fun film facts: actor Robert Shaw inadvertently became a method actor. His character Doyle Lonnegan limps throughout the film, but that was not written into the script, even though it gave Shaw a menacing gate. Shaw actually hurt his leg playing handball a week before filming, so the limp is very real. I love this one – The “Sting” was primarily shot on Hollywood studio back lots. The desolate late night city diner where Redford eats meatloaf was actually the same diner where Biff confronts Marty McFly in “Back to the Future.” 

“The Sting” was nominated for 10 Oscars and won seven, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Editing. Robert Redford was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar – his only acting nomination in his long career. His two Oscars came for directing 1983’s “Ordinary People,” and he received an Honorary Oscar in 2002 for Acting, Directing and Producing. 

Great acting, iconic music, stylistic period costume designs, excellent directing, and a fantastic underdog story make “The Sting” about as close to a perfect movie as there is. Robert Redford passed away earlier this week at the age of 89; Newman died in 2008 at the age of 83. They both made the most of their time on earth and are known for their philanthropic efforts and decency offscreen. By all accounts, they were even better people than they were movie stars, and they were great movie stars. “The Sting” is this week’s classic pic. 

Editor’s note: For more movie and entertainment talk, join Pete Schwaba weeknights from 6-8 p.m. for “Nite Lite” here on the Civic Media radio network.