The Sting

Year of Release:  1973
Director:  George Roy Hill
Screenplay:  David S. Ward
Starring:  Robert Redford, Paul Newman, Robert Shaw
Running Time:  129 minutes
Genre:  Crime, thriller,

Chicago, 1936:  Johnny Hooker (Redford) is a small time crook who joins forces with veteran con man Henry Gondorff (Newman) to scam a wealthy and powerful Mob boss (Shaw) with an elaborate con, as revenge for his ordering the death of their friend.  However, as the plan progresses it becomes apparent that the police, FBI and a hired killer are closing in on the pair.

This is probably the best film made about con men and, as with all movies in this genre, the scammers are charismatic, loveable rogues (instead of the sleazy slimeballs they really are) conning a wealthy villain who is worse than they are and deserves what he gets (instead of ordinary innocent people) and the pleasure comes in seeing how the plan is laid and put into operation like an elaborate house of cards where one wrong move could send it crashing down (here the various stages of the con are set out in chapters headed by title cards written and illustrated in the style of Norman Rockwell and The Saturday Evening Post) .  Reuniting stars Redford and Newman with their Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid director Hill, this is one of those classic Hollywood films, reveling in rich period detail.  Photographed in rich, vibrant colour where Newman's eyes have never looked so piercingly blue, and Redford's hair never so golden.  Redford and Newman have genuine chemistry together and the film coasts along on their considerable charisma.  Robert Shaw is good as the urbane but mercurial gangster, who is the target of the con.  The soundtrack consists of variations of ragtime music arranged by Marvin Hamlisch, most notably "The Entertainer" by Scott Joplin, which became a top ten hit on the back of this movie.  The script is witty, clever and packed with twists and turns.  This film is pure classy entertainment from beginning to end.

Paul Newman and Robert Redford in The Sting   

Jaws

Year of Release:  1975
Director:  Steven Spielberg
Screenplay:  Peter Benchley and Carl Gottlieb, based on the novel Jaws by Peter Benchley
Starring:  Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary, Murray Hamilton
Running Time:  124 minutes
Genre:  Thriller, horror

This is one of the most popular and influential movies ever made.  When a late night swimmer is savagely killed in the waters off Amity Island, local Police Chief Martin Brody (Scheider) soon realises that there is a vicious shark in the waters.  However the mayor (Hamilton) refuses to close the beaches because the residents rely on the money brought in by summer tourists, especially with the Fourth of July weekend coming up, the island's busiest time of the year.  As the shark claims more victims, Brody enlists the aid of marine biologist Hooper (Dreyfuss), and grizzled old sea dog Quint (Shaw) to stop the terror.

This film pretty much started the summer blockbuster, having an unusually wide release for the time, backed by heavy advertising and merchandising, which helped it become the most successful film ever made, until Star Wars (1977) came along.  Based on the successful novel by Peter Benchley, who co-wrote the script and appears in the film as a TV interviewer, the film had a famously difficult production: it went hugely over budget and over schedule, there was tension between actors Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss, and the model shark (nicknamed "Bruce" after Spielberg's lawyer)  looked completely fake.  However the shark problems proved to be a blessing in disguise.  Due to the fact that it looked so bad, Spielberg severely cut back on how often it appeared on screen, so that the shark is largely hinted at and suggested rather than shown in all it's glory.  This is part of what makes the film so effective, the underwater scenes where the camera glides along beneath unsuspecting victims accompanied by John Williams' famous score.  It's the basic fear that Jaws ties into.  When you're in the water, most of you is submerged, and you can't really see what is down there with you.  It could be anything.  Anything at all.

 Another strength that the film has is Spielberg's eye for the minutiae of every day life, the cluttered homes, boats and offices, the naturalistic dialogue and performances.

It is one of the great Hollywood thrillers, exciting, often witty and quotable dialogue and also surprisingly gruesome.

  Roy Scheider is going to need a bigger boat in Jaws