46th Academy Awards · 1974
The Sting
Directed by George Roy Hill
“...all it takes is a little confidence.”
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The story
A novice con man teams up with an acknowledged master to avenge the murder of a mutual friend by pulling off the ultimate big con and swindling a fortune from a big-time mobster.
What critics & audiences say
Tomatometer93%Fresh#38 of 98 winnersIMDb8.2307K votes#17 of 98 winners
Metacritic83/ 100#54 of 93 winners
TMDB8.0/ 10
Famous lines
The name's Lonnegan, DOYLE Lonnegan! You're gonna remember that, Mr. Shaw, or you're gonna get yourself a new game. You follow?
Always drink gin with the mark, son. He can't tell if y' cut it!
No sense being a grifter if it's the same as bein' a citizen.
Henry: You beat him, kid.
Hooker: You were right, Henry. It's not enough... But it's close.
Hooker: You're scared of him.
Henry: Right down to my socks, buster!
Not only are you a cheat, you're a gutless cheat as well.
Kid Twist: Now how do you want to work this? Flat rate or percentage?
Benny Garfield: Who's the mark?
Kid: Doyle Lonnegan.
Benny: … Flat rate.
Hooker: He's not as tough as he thinks.
Henry: Neither are we.
What was I supposed to do - call him for cheating better than me, in front of the others?
Sit down and shut up, will ya? Try not to live up to all my expectations.
Quotes via Wikiquote
Fun facts
- Robert Shaw's limp as Lonnegan was real: Shaw hurt his leg playing handball shortly before filming, and George Roy Hill encouraged him to work it into the character rather than drop out.Wikipedia · Casting
- Director Rob Cohen found The Sting's script in the slush pile as a reader for agent Mike Medavoy and called it 'the great American screenplay'; Universal bought it that afternoon, and Cohen keeps his coverage framed in his office.Wikipedia · Writing
- The Sting sparked a revival of Scott Joplin's ragtime: Marvin Hamlisch's adaptation of 'The Entertainer' and other Joplin pieces produced a Billboard-topping soundtrack and a top-10 single.Wikipedia · Soundtrack
- Jack Nicholson turned down the lead, saying he knew The Sting would be a huge hit but found Chinatown and The Last Detail more interesting.Wikipedia · Casting
- Academic David Maurer sued for plagiarism, claiming the script leaned too heavily on his 1940 book The Big Con; Universal settled for $600,000, to screenwriter David S. Ward's irritation.Wikipedia · Writing
- George Roy Hill noticed that 1930s gangster films rarely used extras, so he deliberately left street scenes empty to mimic that period look.Wikipedia · Principal photography
- Paul Newman, whose previous five films had disappointed at the box office, signed on only after getting top billing, $500,000 and a share of the profits; the hit rekindled his career.Wikipedia · Casting
- Lonnegan's private car in the film was co-producer Tony Bill's own 1935 Pierce-Arrow limousine; Bill, an antique car buff, helped round up the period vehicles.Wikipedia · Principal photography
- According to producer Julia Phillips, Robert Shaw missed a Best Supporting Actor nomination because he demanded his name follow Newman's and Redford's before the opening title.Wikipedia · Casting
- The Sting grossed $257 million worldwide and, as of 2018, ranked as the 20th highest-grossing film in the United States adjusted for ticket price inflation.Wikipedia · Box office