The Grifters (1990)
As reviewed by Brian Koller
Grade: 82
"The Grifters" is a lurid, tense film that explores the lives of three con artists and their relationships to each other. While the violence, language, and sexual situations may offend some people, it does not detract from the film's message, which is that crime doesn't pay. The life of a grifter may be eventful, but it is ultimately dismal.
"The Grifters" stars Roy (John Cusack) as a young grifter, working 'short cons' on innocents such as bartenders and sailors. His mother Lilly (Anjelica Huston) works the racetracks for a sadistic mobster (Pat Hingle). Mother and son have an uncomfortable relationship, partly due to Roy's need for independence, but mostly due to his unresolved Oedipus complex. Roy's girlfriend is Myra (Annette Bening), a ruthless and manipulative con artist, who sees Roy as a potential partner for her specialty, 'long cons' to be perpetrated on desperate businessmen. Myra and Lilly soon take a dislike to each other, and tensions are further increased by Roy's mistrust of Myra.
The character of Myra was the most interesting for me. She really is a monster, and the more evil an action is, the more she seems to enjoy it. Roy is so independent and mistrustful that he tries to convince Myra and Lilly that he is a salesman, but he doesn't fool either of them. Lilly is the film's shrewdest character, but she is undermined by her avarice and her love for her son. The complex relationships of these three con artists creates tense and unpredictable plot developments.
"The Grifters" has several excellent supporting roles for veteran character actors. Pat Hingle plays a crafty, sinister mobster, Henry Jones is a know-it-all motel clerk, and Eddie Jones is the grifter who makes Roy his apprentice. Stephen Tobolowsky plays a jeweler who is perhaps the film's only honest character.
"The Grifters" received several Academy Award nominations: Best Actress (Huston), Best Supporting Actress (Bening), Best Director (Stephen Frears), and Best Adapted Screenplay (Donald Westlake).