‘The Sting’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey

What It Covers

Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey analyze the 1973 film The Sting as part of Redford Month, examining its Best Picture win, the Newman-Redford partnership, con movie mechanics, and Hollywood star power dynamics in the 1970s.

Key Questions Answered

• •Con Movie Structure: The Sting pioneered the triple-con narrative framework with three simultaneous deceptions: the fake assassin waitress, Redford's false betrayal of Newman, and the FBI raid reveal. This layered approach established the template for modern con films like Ocean's Eleven and Focus, requiring audiences to remain surprised despite knowing deception is central.
• •Star Power Evolution: Redford used The Sting to establish first-call status in Hollywood, reportedly influencing director selection by passing the script to George Roy Hill, effectively removing original director David Ward. This marked a shift where actors controlled projects through strategic script circulation rather than studio assignments, a practice that continues with DiCaprio's current first-call position.
• •Newman's Performance Method: Paul Newman's poker scene demonstrates functional alcoholic acting technique, having consumed twelve beers daily for thirty years while maintaining fitness. His ability to play drunk while actually managing intoxication created authentic performances in gambling scenes, though this lifestyle contributed to early deaths among contemporaries like Robert Shaw who died at fifty.
• •Academy Award Politics: The Sting won seven of ten Oscar nominations including Best Picture over The Exorcist and American Graffiti, representing makeup award dynamics where Jack Lemmon won Best Actor for Save the Tiger instead of Al Pacino for Serpico. This established the pattern of delayed recognition that affected Pacino until Scent of a Woman nineteen years later.
• •Production Design Philosophy: George Roy Hill deliberately eliminated extras and shot on soundstages to replicate 1930s gangster film aesthetics rather than authentic Depression-era Chicago. This created a manufactured, claustrophobic environment that Pauline Kael criticized but established the film's distinctive visual style, influencing how period pieces balance historical accuracy versus genre homage.