Word: stingingly
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1980-1989
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...original Sting was remarkable because it combined the most unlikely twists of plot with entirely plausible characters. At the close of the movie, when the Robert Redford and Paul Newman characters turn out only to be feigning death, the twist is a shock because those actors portray such genuine. killable men. The viewer believes he is watching real-world scenes in which such a tragedy could occur. The movie itself is a con game, the audience its victims, and everyone falls...
...Sting II, in contrast, seems the work of slick amateurs. Self-confident and overbearing, the movie seems to proclaim continually that it is pulling a fast one. Warned, the viewer braces himself, and is neither entertained nor particularly surprised when, yes indeed, there turns out to be another layer to the plot. Since the movie never pretends to resemble real life, the constant uncovering of unbelievable connections is merely repetitious...
...Sting II does adapt from the original and central characters of the criminal hero. Jake Hooker (Mac Davis), and his has-been mentor, Fargo Gondorff (Jackie Gleason). The first gag sets the tone of the movie, when Hooker rushes down to visit Gondorff in what had been described as "a big house with a yard," but is actually a state prison, It never improves...
Hooker and Gondorff set out to pull off an incomparable 'sting' whose unbelievability is matched only by its complexity. Their plan involves Hooker posing as a professional boxer in a real fight, but the duplicity of side-kick Veronica (Teri Garr) and the cunning of enemy Lonnegan (Oliver Reed) throw snags into the action. Lonnegan plans to alert their dangerous prey (Karl Malden) to the plot, and so dispose neatly of the pair. The viewer, impatient by the time this has all been explained, finds new amendments unremarkable...
...hallmark of the original Sting was its ragtime piano theme "The Entertainer," which sums up the irresistible devil-may-care attitude Newman and Redford brought to life. Though unbelievably canny, the characters in the original seemed extremely vulnerable; the risks they were taking appeared real. The sequel contains a multitude of tricks, but lacks the force to raise any of them to such reality. The background music for Sting II is appropriately the famous piano rag--mutilated in an adaptation...