I can't believe I'm saying this but I think part two was even better than part one. That's probably a blasphemous statement considering how good The Sting was, but this was at least equally good.
The Sting was clever, broad in scope, and well executed as a movie and as a con. Part two was all of that and I'd say even more clever. It certainly was more risky.
Of course, with a movie like this you're looking for the loose ends. Where did they slip up so I can poke holes in it? You have this elaborate con being orchestrated by Fargo Gondorff (Jackie Gleason); he has Gus Macalinski (Karl Malden) as his mark but then there's a bogey in Lonnegan (Oliver Reed) that could blow the whole thing and/or kill everybody. There is an unknown in Veronica (Teri Garr) whom you don't know what side she plays for, and a potbellied cop that could be as big a problem as any. In the middle of it all is Jake Hooker (Mac Davis) who is just trying to do his part.
Like any good heist/score movie we, the audience, aren't given too much information throughout. We have just enough to know the ruse and the major players. You know that the con centers around a fixed boxing match and that's really all you know. You have to patiently wait as everything else develops and plays out. I thought it was masterful. This was a more than adequate follow up to the first.
The Sting was clever, broad in scope, and well executed as a movie and as a con. Part two was all of that and I'd say even more clever. It certainly was more risky.
Of course, with a movie like this you're looking for the loose ends. Where did they slip up so I can poke holes in it? You have this elaborate con being orchestrated by Fargo Gondorff (Jackie Gleason); he has Gus Macalinski (Karl Malden) as his mark but then there's a bogey in Lonnegan (Oliver Reed) that could blow the whole thing and/or kill everybody. There is an unknown in Veronica (Teri Garr) whom you don't know what side she plays for, and a potbellied cop that could be as big a problem as any. In the middle of it all is Jake Hooker (Mac Davis) who is just trying to do his part.
Like any good heist/score movie we, the audience, aren't given too much information throughout. We have just enough to know the ruse and the major players. You know that the con centers around a fixed boxing match and that's really all you know. You have to patiently wait as everything else develops and plays out. I thought it was masterful. This was a more than adequate follow up to the first.