The Grifters 1990
- Director: Stephen Frears
- Seen by the director: Victoria & Abdul, Philomena, Tamara Drewe, The Queen, Mrs Henderson Presents, Dirty Pretty Things, Liam, High Fidelity, The Van, Mary Reilly, Sammie and Rosie Get Laid, Prick Up Your Ears, My Beautiful Laundromat,
- Based on book by Jim Thompson
- Cast: Anjelica Huston, John Cusack, Annette Bening, Pat Hingle, JT Walsh
- Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
- Anjelica Huston – Darjeeling Limited, Seraphim Falls, The Royal Tenenbaums, Ever After, Prizzi’s Honor, Spinal Tap
- John Cusack – The Butler, 2012, 1408, The Contract, Serendipity, High Fidelity, Being John Malkovich, Cradle Will Rock, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Grosse Pointe Blank, Stand By Me
- Annette Bening – Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool, Ginger & Rosa, The Kids Are All Right, Being Julia, American Beauty, Mars Attacks, Richard III, Postcards from the Edge
- Pat Hingle – A Thousand Acres, Norma Rae, TV series
- JT Walsh – Pleasantville, The Negotiator, Sling Blade, The Client, Red Rock West, Lethal Weapon, Good Morning Vietnam
- Why? Good film
- Seen: Once before. Now 28 April 2022
Is this film that old? John Cusack looks
like a teen-ager! Here, he’s Roy, a small-time but successful grifter. Lily
(Huston) is a racetrack grifter. Myra (Bening, also looking young) is an
all-round grifter/hooker.
Roy and Myra have known each other a
couple of months and are lovers. Lily is Roy’s mother. They’ve been estranged
for years but now she seeks him out. They’re still at loggerheads and she and
Myra loathe each other.
Behind the Bimbo façade, Myra is an
expert at the long con. She wants Roy to become her partner.
The film starts out light, but it soon turns grim, dramatic and violent.
3 ½ * of 5
Have you read the book? It brought me to the movie (pretty good adaptation), just like the movies (original and remake) of "The Getaway" brought me to the novel. Jim Thompson proved a fascinating read, but no addition to my favourite writers. Nice crime stuff, though, sleazy and scary, often satirical and wickedly funny. I've read an omnibus that also contained "The Killer Inside Me" and "Pop. 1280". The former exists as a graphic movie with Casey Affleck, the latter only (I think) as an old French version (somewhat lightweight).
ReplyDeleteNo, I have not read the book. It sounds as though the film did a good adaption.
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