From the beginning of The Sting, it's clear that we're in a world where there is no moral high ground. A criminal syndicate is ripped off by a team of grifters, their delivery man having failed in his attempt to rob them instead. One of the grifters (Robert Redford) is then ripped off by a casino via a fixed roulette wheel, and then held up by a crooked cop. After he finds his buddy has been murdered by the order of the boss (Robert Shaw), he turns to a common friend (Paul Newman) to seek revenge. Everyone is a con here, even the police are on the take, and it's the cleverest con who wins. The card game on the train with both men cheating is a perfect battle of alpha predators, and it all leads up to and elaborate "sting."
While all of this is playing out, Redford's character is being hunted down by a cop for giving him counterfeit money, and the mob boss for having robbed him (not knowing he's the same guy who's floating the proposition to fleece Newman's character). This leads to some amusing scenes of Redford fleeing on foot and using his wits to escape. He survives all that and it looks like it's going perfectly, but unfortunately the FBI has been tipped off, threatening to unravel the whole scheme.
During the buildup to the final scene, there are long sequences without any dialogue, a wise choice by George Roy Hill, as it amplified the tension. He was also very clever with the subplot involving the ice-cold killer Salino, who was set loose on Redford's character out of frustration by the boss. The way this played out was brilliant, and the ending to the film was memorable as well. Along the way Paul Newman is fantastic, making it all look effortless and amusing us with his little quips (Redford: "He's not as tough as he thinks" / Newman: "Neither are we.") Great soundtrack too. Easy to see why this won as many Oscars as it did, and one that has held up well.
While all of this is playing out, Redford's character is being hunted down by a cop for giving him counterfeit money, and the mob boss for having robbed him (not knowing he's the same guy who's floating the proposition to fleece Newman's character). This leads to some amusing scenes of Redford fleeing on foot and using his wits to escape. He survives all that and it looks like it's going perfectly, but unfortunately the FBI has been tipped off, threatening to unravel the whole scheme.
During the buildup to the final scene, there are long sequences without any dialogue, a wise choice by George Roy Hill, as it amplified the tension. He was also very clever with the subplot involving the ice-cold killer Salino, who was set loose on Redford's character out of frustration by the boss. The way this played out was brilliant, and the ending to the film was memorable as well. Along the way Paul Newman is fantastic, making it all look effortless and amusing us with his little quips (Redford: "He's not as tough as he thinks" / Newman: "Neither are we.") Great soundtrack too. Easy to see why this won as many Oscars as it did, and one that has held up well.