The Sting (1973, USA)

Aichi Insurance Physicians’ Newspaper

Amid the chaos of the Great Depression, the city of Chicago in the 1930s—then a hub of the criminal underworld—was gripped by daily gang wars that often ended in bloodshed. However, among the self-proclaimed elite of the underworld, there was a growing culture that looked down on brute force and instead prized the art of outwitting opponents through intellect and cunning. The Sting (1973) tells the story of such intelligent criminals—con artists.

In 1936, in a neighborhood near Chicago, three con men—known as “grifters”—scammed a passerby out of a large sum of money. A few days later, their leader, Luther, was found dead. The man they had conned turned out to be one of the henchmen of Doyle Lonnegan, a powerful mob boss from New York. As punishment for crossing a major organization, Luther was eliminated. Now the syndicate's attention turned to one of the remaining con men, Hooker (played by Robert Redford).

Determined to avenge Luther’s death, Hooker seeks out Gondorff in Chicago. When Gondorff (played by Paul Newman) learns of his friend’s murder and hears that the perpetrator is Lonnegan (played by Robert Shaw), he begins investigating the crime boss and discovers that Lonnegan has a weakness for poker and horse racing.

Gondorff quickly reunites his old crew and sets up a fake off-track betting shop in the heart of Chicago. Hooker approaches Lonnegan with a proposal: the betting parlor, operated by Gondorff, receives advance race results via wire, allowing bets only on races that have already been decided. It's a "sure thing." Blinded by greed, Lonnegan decides to invest half a million dollars.

As soon as the race begins, FBI agents storm the shop, causing a chaotic scene. Lonnegan is taken away by the FBI—only to realize too late that everything was staged by Gondorff. The elaborate sting leaves Lonnegan financially and reputationally ruined, and Luther’s death is avenged.

While phone scams targeting the elderly are inexcusable, The Sting offers a strangely satisfying tale in which a group of underdogs outwit a corrupt, wealthy villain. Still, let this serve as a reminder—beware of “too-good-to-be-true” deals!