Grifters (1990)

Grifters: Directed by Stephen Frears. With Anjelica Huston, John Cusack, Annette Bening, Jan Munroe. A small-time conman has torn loyalties between his estranged mother and new girlfriend, both of whom are high-stakes grifters with their own angles to play.

“Most films have one, and only one, protagonist around whom the story is told. But u0026quot;The Griftersu0026quot; has three, all of them petty swindlers, desperate for quick cash or good odds at a u0026quot;long conu0026quot;. And itu0026#39;s the personal relationships among these three criminals, complex, sometimes dark, and almost always motivated by survival, that make this film a pretty good bet.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eRoy Dillon (John Cusack), is a trickster, a loner, u0026quot;on the griftu0026quot; for the u0026quot;short conu0026quot;, strictly a nickels and dimes man. His mom is Lilly (Anjelica Huston); sheu0026#39;s a middle-aged lady with white hair; sheu0026#39;s seductive, cold-blooded, and tough as nails; sheu0026#39;s been around the block a few times. Royu0026#39;s love interest is Myra (Annette Bening), a shapely, fun loving babe who uses her charms to con rich businessmen. These three people are highly manipulative and scheming, on-guard, and mistrustful of each other and the rest of the world.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe filmu0026#39;s tone is bleak and gloomy. Thereu0026#39;s very little u0026quot;heartu0026quot; in this film. And thatu0026#39;s a problem, because I found these characters not very sympathetic. They lead lives of quiet desperation, grimy and tawdry. Still, u0026quot;The Griftersu0026quot; is a crime story in the best tradition of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, a pulpy melodrama about the underbelly of urban America.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe filmu0026#39;s structure is conventional, and contains a number of flashbacks. The set-up is tediously long. The second half of the film is better than the first half, in my opinion, because the second half contains more suspense.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eDialogue is direct and tough, like when Lilly makes her point to the ambulance driver who takes Roy to the hospital and is skeptical about Royu0026#39;s chances for survival: Says Lilly: u0026quot;My son is gonna be alright, if not, Iu0026#39;ll have you killedu0026quot;. Later, she explains the facts of life to her son: u0026quot;Grifts like anything else Roy, you donu0026#39;t stand still, you either go up or down, usually down, sooner or lateru0026quot;. Yes indeed, itu0026#39;s a tough life being a u0026quot;grifteru0026quot;; but Lilly is one tough broad.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe filmu0026#39;s color cinematography is fine. And the film has a terrific title sequence and a great Elmer Bernstein score at the beginning. Editing, costumes, and production design are all credible.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIf youu0026#39;re in the mood for a gritty, bleak story of petty criminals in a well made modern film, u0026quot;The Griftersu0026quot; is a good choice. As a bonus, the DVD has an exceptionally good Commentary, with insightful comments from Director Stephen Frears, and actors John Cusack and Anjelica Huston.”