The Sting: Special Edition (Editor's Pick) Review Score: 10/10 | Date Posted: September 16th 2005 In: DVD Reviews Starring: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Robert Shaw Directed by: George Roy Hill Studio: Universal Studios DVD Release Date: September 6, 2005 DVD Features: Available subtitles: Spanish, French; Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 2.0), English (DTS 5.1); The Art of The Sting - A Retrospective on the making of The Sting; Theatrical Trailer; Production Notes Number of discs: 2 Format: Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen The Sting Review by Robert Falconer | HNR Senior Editor They just don’t make ‘em like this anymore. Well, rarely, anyway. George Roy Hill’s meticulously crafted tale of veteran con artist Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman) and his grifter apprentice Johnny Hooker (Robert Redford) working the big con on mob boss Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw) in Depression-era Chicago garnered seven Academy Awards for the 1973 film year, including Best Picture. It’s no surprise why. By turns humorous and thrilling, the script, the cast, the cinematography, Edith Head’s costuming and Marvin Hamlisch's inspired, antithetically designed score are all letter perfect. This film pioneered an entire genre of stylish caper films, though to this day The Sting remains unequalled. It is a consummate example of a motion picture that transcends the sum of its parts to take on a life of its own. When Johnny's original partner, Luther (Robert Earl Jones), is shot dead after the two swindle syndicate boss Doyle Lonnegan in a street con, Johnny looks up Luther’s old friend Gondorff – a consummate confidence master – in the hopes of evening the score. Gondorff agrees to help Johnny take down the contemptible Lonnegan, gathering an army of grifters ready to avenge Luther’s death. The labyrinthine plot, fraught with red herrings and double-crosses aplenty, involves a fake bookie joint, corrupt cops, an importunate FBI agent, and of course, mercurial women. The film is also remembered for Marvin Hamlisch's adaptation of Scott Joplin's piano rags, so popular that the main theme remained on the top ten charts for weeks. Unquestionably, much of the film’s timeless charm belongs to the unequalled chemistry of Redford and Newman, fresh off their success with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969). But the story was also richly innovative and thoroughly researched by writer David S. Ward. Ward and director George Roy Hill – also responsible for the aforementioned Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid – refined the script to such precision, that the cast never had to suggest a single alteration. Hill, a former Marine pilot in WWII, was an acknowledged autocrat as a director, but nonetheless respected by actors and straight arrow sure of what he wanted. He had vision, and wasn’t afraid to stand up to Hollywood executives, though as legend has it, they were often afraid to stand up to him; such was his reputation. In many respects, Hill's film might be thought of as a sequel to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid in that it follows a similar formula and its two heroes retain the same essential characteristics, merely trading the Old West for 1936 Chicago. Nevertheless, The Sting still manages to retain its own uniqueness—a kinetic painting from a time when urban lawlessness and corruption went hand-in-hand to create a mythology that is looked back upon with a kind of nostalgic reverie. In truth, it was a bloody, violent period in American history despite the popular romanticizing of the era by the cinema. Films like The Sting and The Untouchables (1987) successfully romanticize the aesthetic of the period, while still managing to telegraph the idea that this was a thorny time in which to live in a big American city. The new Special Edition DVD includes a second disc of extras, the main feature of which is a detailed retrospective from the actors and writer David S. Ward about the making of the film. For film fans young and old, this is definitely one for the permanent collection.

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