The Grifters

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The Grifters

R

Released Dec 5, 1990

1h 53m

Crime

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

92%

Tomatometer

50 Reviews

69%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Hard-as-nails Lily Dillon (Anjelica Huston) works as a swindler for dangerous bookie Bobo (Pat Hingle), probably the only man she fears. Arriving in Los Angeles on business, Lily looks up her son, Roy (John Cusack), a small-time con artist content with paltry sleight-of-hand cheats. Roy's girlfriend, Myra (Annette Bening), looks like an All-American type but is a grifter looking to pull off another big-time con. The convergence of the three hustlers inevitably means trouble for all of them.

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Critics Consensus

Coolly collected and confidently performed, The Grifters is a stylish caper that puts the artistry in con.

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Pauline Kael

The New Yorker

Toying with L.A. film noir, the director, Stephen Frears, and the scriptwriter, Donald E. Westlake, do twisted, anomalous things.

Sep 11, 2023

Full Review

Julie Salamon

Wall Street Journal

Frears is as good with the small touches as he is with the big ones -- and that means they're great.

Aug 10, 2022

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David Ansen

Newsweek

These doomed grifters deserve instant admission into the film noir pantheon.

Feb 6, 2018

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Rudie Obias

Battleship Pretension

In most ways, the film is hard-edged, yet playful, with flairs of betrayal, brutality, and cleverness in storytelling, while it keeps viewers engaged, but always one step ahead of the audience.

Jan 30, 2025

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

One of Hollywood’s finest examples of a neo-noir that actually works, as opposed to countless attempts that feel like the celluloid equivalent of little kids playing dress-up in their parents’ clothes.

Rated: 3.5/4

Jan 28, 2025

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Frank J. Avella

The Contending

All three actors are terrific from the always underrated Cusack holding his own opposite the towering Huston, who should have won the Best Actress Academy Award that year.... This was only Annette Bening’s third film, and she is superb...

Rated: A

Jan 27, 2025

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Meri S.

DNF. Not that good. Too bad since a stellar cast.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

08/29/25

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Dana B

A slick and stylish neo-noir crime drama featuring three exceptional performances.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/25/25

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Audience Member

Some of the cheesiest and most poorly written lines of dialogue ever committed to a serious film. The characters are caricature. The script slogs on with nothing to show for it until the final act, where the story final takes shape when it no longer matters. And the over the top performance from the otherwise great Annette Benning early on in the film doesn't help. Cusack was also miscast. It's hard to believe the talent behind the film, including writer Donald Westlake, Frears who directed and Scorsese who produced. This film is just a poorly done attempt at neo noir that never feels genuine or even remotely intriguing. I believe the critics reviews are warped due to the talent involved. Skip this dud.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

04/19/25

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Audience Member

Quirky, entertaining film noir about three con artists, based on the book by respected hard-boiled crime writer Jim Thompson. Great soundtrack too.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/13/25

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Sarfaraz A

The film was directed by Stephen Frears and produced by Martin Scorsese. Starring John Cusack, Anjelica Huston (John Huston's daughter), and Annette Bening. The film is based on Jim Thompson's novel (1963). The film is about three con artists: Cusack, Angelica, and Bening, with Cusack and Anjelica playing mother and son. John Cusack and Annette Bening are two of my favorite performers. The film has garnered a slew of great reviews on RT, but I have no idea what critics saw in it. Was it because Martin Scorsese produced the film? The film depicts each character's con artistry, but other than that there was nothing intriguing going on. The excitement was not even bold enough to elicit dread or pity from the viewers for the characters.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/07/25

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Don T

THIS WILL BE MY LAST OF MANY REVIES, BECAUSE YOU ILLOGICALLY REMOVED STARS FROM AUDIENCE RATINGS. WHY????????????????????????????????????????????? IT MAKES THEM TOTALLY USELESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/23/24

Full Review

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Stephen Frears

Director

John Cusack

Roy Dillon

Anjelica Huston

Lilly Dillon

Annette Bening

Myra Langtry

Pat Hingle

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Synopsis

Hard-as-nails Lily Dillon (Anjelica Huston) works as a swindler for dangerous bookie Bobo (Pat Hingle), probably the only man she fears. Arriving in Los Angeles on business, Lily looks up her son, Roy (John Cusack), a small-time con artist content with paltry sleight-of-hand cheats. Roy's girlfriend, Myra (Annette Bening), looks like an All-American type but is a grifter looking to pull off another big-time con. The convergence of the three hustlers inevitably means trouble for all of them.

Director: Stephen Frears
Producer: Robert A. Harris, Jim Painter, Martin Scorsese
Screenwriter: Donald E. Westlake, Jim Thompson
Distributor: Miramax Films
Production Co: Cineplex-Odeon Films
Rating: R
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 5, 1990, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 21, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $10.1M
Runtime: 1h 53m
Sound Mix: Surround

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