The Grifters (1990) is a great change of pace movie for those who think they have seen everything. My bud Stephen_Murray is a film noir buff but even he hasn’t (I think) seen The Grifters, which couldn’t be a better example of noir if it were in Black and White and starred Humphrey Bogart. Without further ado, I give you The Grifters. Steve, this one’s for you.

A grifter is a con artist; one who lives by his wits, bilking others out of their money. Although this territory has been explored by The Flim Flam Man, Paper Moon, and The Sting, none of these films have penetrated to the cold heart of the confidence trickster as The Grifters has. The trio at the center of this story clearly demonstrate what “being out for #1” is and maybe even prove Darwin right with his “survival of the fittest” theory.

The opening scene shows each of the three protagonists, John Cusack, Anjelica Huston, and Annette Bening separately working their “specialties.” When Roy (John Cusack), a small time swindler, is caught and beaten in the middle of a con, the two women meet for the first time in his hospital room. Although Roy doesn’t see it, from that moment on the game is Roy and both women care too much about winning and far too little about Roy. Thereupon is unleashed a fascinating and terrifying chain of events that will grip the viewer as few films have.

Myra (Annette Bening), Roy’s supposed girlfriend, specializes in the “long con” - she works to set it up but needs a new partner to pull it off. She is reduced to ****ing the landlord to pay the rent; Lilly (Anjelica Huston), besides being Roy’s estranged mother, works with a bookie to make sure the odds never get too high for him to make his payoffs. As the film unfolds, we are brought into the fascinating world these characters inhabit and become a part of their lives where everyone is a “mark,” and no one is to be trusted.

All three actors are at the top of their games and I feel confident in saying that none has done a better performance than they do here. Anjelica Huston - director John Huston’s daughter - has done fine work in a number of films including Prizzi’s Honor. Here, her Lilly is lean and hard and rotten to the core, hinting at a more than maternal interest in Roy. Her adversary Myra (Annette Bening) (Bugsy)is sexual and cunning, willing to go as far as necessary to make her big payday - even murder. Roy (John Cusack) (Being John Malkovich) is stuck in the lifestyle because he can’t see a way out, but he is no match for the two women. Supporting actors are uniformly excellent with veteran Pat Hingle (Hang Em High) outstanding as a heartless thug with a disarming smile.

From a novel by Jim Thompson, adapted for the screen by Donald Westlake, The Grifters pulls no punches. Director Stephen Frears builds tension in a story that will leave the viewer feeling “worked over” by the time it is over - and wanting to see it again.

If you need any more incentive to see this, consider that it was produced by Martin Scorsese (Taxi Driver) and the tense score is a product of Elmer Bernstein, one of the great film composers whose credits include The Great Escape and The Magnificent Seven.

The Miramax DVD is presented in 1.85:1 theatrical format and includes a commentary from the director Frears, writer Donald Westlake, and actors John Cusack and Anjelica Huston, a making-of featurette, subtitles and other extras.

Watch a good film tonight!


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening