The Grifters



The 1990 film is an adaptation of a pulp novel by Jim Thompson. It was nominated for four Academy Awards (Director, Lead Actress, Supporting Actress, Adapted Screenplay). Annette Bening was nominated for a BAFTA, and Angelica Huston was nominated for a Golden Globe.

When con artist Roy Dillon (John Cusack) is visited by his mother, Lilly (Huston), who is also a con artist, she sends Roy off to the hospital because of a blow to the gut he suffered while working a grift. Roy's girlfriend, Myra Langtry (Bening), the third con artist, comes to visit Roy, and we discover that Lilly and Myra don't get along. After he is released from the hospital, Roy and Myra go on a little trip, where he is propositioned to be partners in crime with Myra. Everything soon falls apart for the three con artists, which leads to a bloody climax.

The film provides examples of:
"Narrator: Around the country the bookies pay off winners at track odds. It's dangerous when a long shot comes in. Unless you have somebody at the track to lower those odds."
 * Accidental Murder:
 * Ate His Gun: The police assume this was how  committed suicide. In reality,
 * Awesome McCoolname: Bobo Justus is a fantastic name for a Mafia crime boss.
 * Batman Gambit: The long cons that Myra and Cole used to work.
 * Chekhov's Gun: The cigar burn on Lilly's right hand.
 * The hotel clerk
 * Cigar Chomper: Bobo. He even uses one as an implement of torture.
 * The Con
 * Cool Shades: As seen in the poster and the opening of the movie, all three main characters wear sunglasses to conceal themselves public and to look cool.
 * Crapsack World: It's pretty bleak. Everyone is out to get each other and there is literally no one who can be trusted.
 * Dramatic Stutter: A beating with a bag of oranges can cause "p-p-permanent damage".
 * Dumb Blonde: Myra acts the part but it's part of her con.
 * Faking the Dead: Myra and her former partner Cole used to end their scams by staging a shooting in which Myra would always "die". It guaranteed that their targets never went to the police.
 * On a larger scale,
 * The Film of the Book: John Cusack had read the book previously, had wanted to make it into a film, and jumped at the chance offered by Scorsese.
 * Fixing the Game: Lilly's job is to skew the odds at the race track by betting on long-shots to alter the payout.
 * Hey It's That Guy: J.T. Walsh, in a flashback scene, plays Myra's old partner Cole Turner.
 * Hollywood Silencer: Lilly's gun barely makes a sound because of this.
 * Hustling the Mark: Roy does this to a group of sailors on a train. He pretends to have found dice on the ground and cons them into gambling with him.
 * Incest Is Relative: There's a strong sexual subtext between Roy Dillon and his mother Lilly.
 * Lady in Red: Lilly and Myra.
 * Martin Scorsese: He was the producer who subsequently brought in Stephen Frears to direct while he produced.
 * Ms. Fanservice: Myra certainly likes to take her clothes off.
 * My God, What Have I Done?:
 * One-Scene Wonder: Two of them; Pat Hingle (as Lily's boss) and J.T. Walsh (as Myra's old partner).
 * Opening Narration:

"Lilly Dillon: You're working some angle, and don't tell me you're not because I wrote the book!"
 * Parental Incest: Implied until the end.
 * Pillow Pistol: Lilly Dillon does this.
 * Quick Change: One of Roy's favorite tricks. To confuse a cashier, he held up a $20 bill but actually paid with a $10 bill.
 * Short Con: Roy specializes in quick, one-off tricks that involve little risk. Myra tries to convince him to work a long con with her.
 * Sock It to Them: There's a discussion on the pain and damage that can be inflicted with a sack filled with oranges.
 * Trickster Mentor: Roy Dillon finds a Con Man and asks to be taught how to be a grifter. The man agrees and gives him some advice. At the end of their conversation the man asks Dillon for $10. After Dillon gives it to him, the man says "Come around tomorrow, I'll take you again."
 * Wrote the Book: