A darkly cynical and uncompromising gem.
The Grifters (1990)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:37
Fresh:33
Rotten:4
Average Rating:7.8/10
Synopsis: THE GRIFTERS is an intense character study of a group of people caught up in a world where nobody can be trusted. Stephen Frears presents this cool and brutal adaptation of Jim Thompson's stylish... THE GRIFTERS is an intense character study of a group of people caught up in a world where nobody can be trusted. Stephen Frears presents this cool and brutal adaptation of Jim Thompson's stylish noir novel, which centers on the complex lives of three con artists. Shady Roy Dillon (John Cusack), a low-level Los Angeles con man and petty thief, and Roy's sexy, amoral girlfriend Myra (Annette Bening), a con artist who is down on her luck and willing to do whatever it takes to get back on top of her game; are the focal point of the action. Rounding out the trio is Roy's mother, Lilly (Angelica Huston), a veteran con artist who shares little with Roy other than a bizarre oedipal attraction. The seedy underbelly of LA life is played out in evocative tableaux, as Myra and Lilly compete for Roy's attention until they ultimately drive him away. [More]
Starring: Anjelica Huston, Annette Bening, John Cusack, Stephen Tobolowsky
Starring: Anjelica Huston, Annette Bening, John Cusack, Stephen Tobolowsky, Michael Laskin, Eddie Jones, Sandy Baron, Lou Hancock, Gailard Sartain, Pat Hingle, Jeremy Piven, Charles Napier, J.T. Walsh, Frances Bay, Xander Berkeley, Juliet Landau
Director: Stephen Frears
Director: Stephen Frears
Story: Jim Thompson
Producer: Martin Scorsese, Robert A. Harris, Jim Painter
Composer: Elmer Bernstein
Reviews for The Grifters
Best to savor The Grifters for its handsome design -- the picture looks as clean as a Hockney landscape -- and its juicy performances.
A mannerist thriller that doesn't begin to work despite the number of talented hands involved.
Cusack underplays Roy, making him an unbelievable wiseguy, a colorless cipher too akin to the saps he loves to fleece.
British helmer Stephen Frears makes an auspicious American debut with this light, speedy, perfectly executed noir, based on Jim Thompson's novel, boasting three terrific performances; one of the best films of the year
Donald Westlake's excellent screenplay does some justice to the starkness of Jim Thompson's novel; and Frears' direction never fails to grab the attention.
Donald Westlake's screenplay has the right combination of vivid characters, mordant wit and avaricious savagery which distinguishes the best noir.
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