The Sting

Sandwiched in between The Godfather and The Godfather Part II wins for Best Picture is The Sting.  The third crime drama in a row but this one with a completely different tone.  From the same team that made Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a feel good crime drama about two lowly con artists that set out to take down a big time gambling mogul. 

While running con games in Chicago Johnny Hooker(Robert Redford) accidentally cons the wrong man. The man worked for a gambling outfit and was carrying a large sum of money that was supposed to be sent to the big boss. Thinking he just scored big Hooker begins to blow his money on clothes and gambling.  When word gets to the boss of that some lowly con men stole his money he sets out to find out who they are. When he kills Hookers friend, Hooker teams up with another con man Henry Gondroff(Paul Newman) and they begin to set up an elaborate scheme to take the boss down. 

Similar to heist movies you never know what their game is. It fun to see them set up all these elaborate traps and hoaxes to get this guy and in the end the viewer doesn't even know what is a hoax and what is real. The movie is very light hearted and doesn't have the grittiness that other crime dramas had in the early 70's it is so much fun.  You get a real sense that Newman and Redford are having the time of their lives and that just makes it that much more fun for the viewer.  Also in the movie is Robert Earl Jones the Father of James Earl Jones. Which was interesting because while I was watching the movie I kept thinking his voice sounded famiar but the face didn't look right. It all made sense when I figured out that he was James Earl Jones' father. Which means while James has never been in a movie that won best picture his dad has. After directing the two in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid George Roy Hill seems to know exactly what to do to get the best performances out of  Newman and Redford.  Of course at times it doesn't make sense but it doesn't have too the joy is watching everything unfold and watching the two leads just have fun.  The movie also had a great score that revived early 1900's ragtime music.  It just added another layer of fun to the movie. 

There was some big competition that year from other movies.  The Exorcist became the first and only horror movie to be nominated for Best Picture. Directed by William Friedkin who won Best Director in 1971 for The French Connection The Exorcist is widely considered one of the best horror movies of all time.  To me it is even amazing that it was nominated because horror movies are generally ignored by the Academy.  It was nominated for 10 awards all together including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress for Linda Blair.  I don't know how Linda Blair lost because that was some crazy performance that she did.  The movie ended up winning two awards for Best Sound and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Also nominated that year for best picture was George Lucas's breakthrough movie American Graffiti. Nominated for 5 awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress. It didn't end up winning any awards but the movie also launched the career of Harrison Ford. It was a small beginning for the two who would go on to later create one of the biggest movies in history.

Oscar Facts
Tatum O'Neal won best Supporting Actress for her role in Paper Moon(where she starred opposite her father Ryan O'Neal) at 10 years old she is the youngest winner of an Academy Award.
On IMDB Top 250 The Sting is currently at 98 and The Exorcist is at 203


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