The Robert Redford Crime Caper Classic On Netflix Is The Greatest Comedy Of The 1970s

On-screen, Robert Redford and Newman had already established themselves as cunning cohorts with fluid interpretations of morality in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969). With The Sting, they arguably up the ante by trading in their six-shooters in 1890s Wyoming for the hustle and bustle of Prohibition-era Chicago’s underground gambling and betting. Helmed by one of the best directors of the era, George Roy Hill (Butch, Slaughterhouse-Five, and Slapshot, among others), the twists and turns as the story and the con play out are as relevant today as when it first came out.

The plot revolves around Johnny Hooker (Redford) seeking revenge against an unforgiving gangster named Doyle Lonnegan, portrayed by Robert Shaw (the mustachioed guy from Jaws). After inadvertently scamming Lonnegan out of quite a bit of cash, Hooker finds himself hunted by the gangster’s henchmen. He seeks the help of Henry Gondorff (Newman), a seasoned con artist, to come up with an elaborate plan to take Lonnegan down. The quick wit and clever quips between Gondorff and Hooker became a benchmark for other comedies of the era and have since.

Assembling an Avengers-esque squad of fellow con artists to pull off the “long con” against Lonnegan, Gondorff and Hooker set about an elaborate scheme. If you are curious about where films find inspiration in explaining the “how” of pulling off elaborate schemes and cons, this is it.

The film itself was a massive hit at the box office and with critics. It took home an impressive seven Oscars and even included a Best Actor nomination for Robert Redford. In fact, one of the most deserving of those statuettes went to Marvin Hamlisch for Best Music/Adaptation (and shout out to Scott Joplin), as the music and score itself have left an indelible mark on movie history. It also currently boasts a 93 percent on the Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes and an 8.3/10 on IMDb.

The backdrop and plot may have changed significantly from Butch and Sundance, but the chemistry between the two is even more impressive as the jokes volley between the two throughout the movie. Clooney and Pitt may have borrowed the title and general outline from Frank Sinatra and the Ratpack. Still, fans of the revamped Oceans movies needn’t look any further than Robert Redford and Paul Newman in The Sting as the likely source of inspiration for that buddy-caper X factor.

Quite simply, it’s Robert Redford and Paul Newman in their prime. They were the epitome of cool and funny in a wide-open 1970s film landscape. Tropes were made to be broken, and The Sting helped set that up for filmmakers for generations to come, and it continues to take new viewers for a ride.