An great comedy thriller classic.

When an ambitious Small Time Crook (Two Time Oscar-Winner:Robert Redford) steals $10,000 with his old age partner from an dangerous criminal (Robert Shaw), later on that day, The Crook discover his crime partner has been murder by the crime lord. Then The Crook meets his dead friend ex-partner a Veteran Con-Man (Three Time Oscar-Winner:Paul Newman), who seek revenge on the crime lord.

Entertaining comedy is directed by George Roy Hill (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Slap Shot) and Written by David S. Ward (The Program). Winner of Seven Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Art Direction/Set Decoration, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Score and Best Original Screenplay. The Film recieve Three Oscar Nominations, Including:Best Actor:-Robert Redford, Best Cinematography and Best Sound. The Sting has the Greatest Double Crossing in a Movie History, Complete with an Surprise Ending. Great Fun. Better to Wait for the Special Edition DVD in a Widescreen Version, which it will be 30 Years, Next Year. Grade:A.

Mixed Feelings....

"The Sting" is set in Chicago during the 1930's. Johnny Hooker(Robert Redford)and Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman)are a couple of con artists, that team up to gain revenge on mob boss Daniel Lonogan ( Robert Shaw), when a mutual friend of theirs is killed.

"The Sting" is perhaps the best con artist film ever made. Robert Redford and Paul Newman team up again, and in my opinion have better chemistry in this film, then they did in "Butch Casidy and The Sundance Kid". Both of them are outstanding in their roles. Robert Shaw is perfect as Doyle Lonnegan. Gives the perfect portrayal of a ruthless mob boss. Watching Redford and Newman con him is extremely satisfying. The supporting cast was great as well, and included performances from Dana Elcar, Eileen Brennan, Ray Walston, Charles Durning, and Harold Gould. The musical score, is perhaps one of the best musical scores ever created. Played solely on the piano, it manages to go along perfectly with every scene. Also the set and costume designs are beautifully done. They are extremely authentic to the 1930's version of Chicago! But the best thing about the film, is the actual "Sting". It is one of the greatest double crosses in movie history! The film is shot brilliantly, because you see the events unfold one by one. In a film where there is a lot of twists and turns, you don't want to be confused, or be left asking "Why?". The reason "The Sting" succeeds, is because everything is laid out extremely well, and there are no loose ends. "The Sting" was the winner of 7 Academy Awards in 1973 including Best Picture, Best Director - George Roy Hill, and Best Original Screenplay - David S. Ward.

If I was giving a review for just the film, it would be 5 stars hands down. However, I have to give a 3 star rating because of how bad the DVD is itself. I can't understand the horrible DVD treatment from Universal. There are no extras whatsoever, and it only comes in full screen format. Overall, this is a must own just for the film itself. But, you should probably go with the VHS version in this case.

THIS ONE REALLY STINGS!

"The Sting" is a classic throwback to Hollywood's golden age: a fish out of water tale about a couple of con artists (Paul Newman and Robert Redford) who seemingly meet their match in a cheating mobster (Robert Shaw). As the police close in from one end and the Mafia from the other, the stakes become higher, the comedy more hilarious and the ultimate con, more rewarding. The supporting cast is a potpourri of stellar characters including Dana Elcar, Eileen Brennan, Ray Walston, Charles Durning, and Harold Gould. Marvin Hamlisch provides a sophisticated score buttressed by Scott Joplin's ragtime jazz.

It is disheartening to see an Oscar wining Best Picture get so shabby a treatment on DVD. For starters, the film is presented in a full frame, pan and scan version only. The shortcomings of this format are that you are not seeing the film in a version director, George Roy Hill would have approved of. But apart from Universal's glaringly obvious oversight, the print quality of "The Sting" suffers from a poorly balanced color spectrum, age related artifacts, edge enhancement, shimmering of fine details and pixelization. Flesh tones are often weak and pasty. Blacks are rarely solid or deep. Fine grain can be excessive in spots. The audio is poorly mixed, sounding strident and tinny. There are no extra features.