THE STING (Universal 100th Anniversary Collector’s series) (Universal, 1973) D: George Roy Hill, w/ Paul Newman, Robert Redford. Rating: NNNNN Blu-ray package: NNNN Rating: NNNNN
Paul Newman and Robert Redford were Hollywood’s top leading men when they made The Sting. Director George Roy Hill, who’d shepherded them through the 1969 monster hit Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid was likewise flying high.
They’re 1930s con men, Newman the fading Henry Gondorff and Redford the up-and-comer Johnny Hooker. They put together a team to mount a huge, complex con on mobster-gambler Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw at his most fierce). But everyone’s a criminal here. Twists and turns abound, and the smart, funny script always stays one step ahead of the viewer.
The restoration for HD is lovely. There are lots of browns and a dry, almost dusty look, and Hill’s use of small figures in big cityscapes produces a vaguely spaghetti western feel.
The hour-long retrospective making-of doc from 2005 features lots of Newman, Redford and supporting players Charles Durning, Eileen Brennan, Ray Walston, writer David Ward and others. They have informative things to say about the production and tell some funny stories.
EXTRAS Three-part making-of, restoration, Universal in the 70s, studio docs, more. English, French audio. English SDH, French, Spanish subtitles.
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