The Grifters

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The Grifters

R

Released Dec 5, 1990

1h 53m

Crime

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

47 Reviews

70%

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

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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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Terry Francis

Southern Voice (Atlanta)

Wonderfully eccentric.

Rated: 3.5/4

May 9, 2023

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Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

Frears has taken many liberties with the book, and the movie is, something rather rare, better than the original. [Full review in Spanish]

Jan 25, 2023

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

There's little doubt that The Grifters ultimately fares quite a bit better than its literary predecessor...

Rated: 3.5/4

May 2, 2020

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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

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Georgan G

This movie is more than a neo-noir thriller, it's a perfectly put together movie. The writing & flow of the script is on point. The acting is flawless. Watching these three actors is immensely entertaining.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/28/24

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Josh R

The overly cruel and senseless ending spoiled the good impression of the film...

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

12/10/23

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kevin m

How does is this movie rate 91%? The movie is called The Grifters. The reviews talk about three grifters in the movie. What three grifters? There's only one grifter - Roy - and he's a small time grifter at that. He's basically an amateur. He has a hiding place full of cash, but we're never given any explanation as to how he earned that cash. Card tricks? His mother, Lilly, bets on horses on the West coast to make money for some East Coast syndicate. How does that make her a grifter? Then we come to Roy's girlfriend, Myra. Apparently she plays the long con. The only proof of this we are given is her description of the long cons she has played in the past with a professional team. She wants to convince Roy to work long cons with her. If she's such a pro, why is she trying to recruit a small time player? Even Roy is smart enough to know that the long con is out of his league. The only actual crime Myra commits is trying to kill Lily. Murder is not the usual style of a grifter. The actors do an OK job with what they have, but I don't get the story at all. I was looking forward to this movie, because I enjoy movies, books, and TV shows about grifters. If you do too, don't bother with this one.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

The greatest 01 hour: and 53 minutes of crime fighting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

Full Review

John R

While each individual actor does a great job, and there certainly are plenty of grifts in the movie (the title is no lie), this one just seemed to fall flat. Why am I supposed to care about these people? Other than "We steal money from people via shenanigans," what's the plot? I'm just not impressed. Also, (Spoiler) Roy has a thing for his mom(?). Gross.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

05/17/22

Full Review

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Stephen Frears

Director

John Cusack

Roy Dillon

Anjelica Huston

Lilly Dillon

Annette Bening

Myra Langtry

Pat Hingle

Bobo Justus

J.T. Walsh

Cole

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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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