The Grifters

"Seduction. Betrayal. Murder. Who’s conning who?"

1990 1h 50m EN

👍

6.5

SOLID

🔥

92%

CERTIFIED FRESH

💯

METACRITIC

⭐

6.8

IMDB

★6.5TMDB · 499🍅92%Rotten Tomatoes●86Metacritic★6.8IMDB · 33,749

CrimeDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A small-time conman has his loyalties torn between his estranged mother and his new girlfriend, both of whom are high-stakes grifters with their own angles to play.

“Seduction. Betrayal. Murder. Who’s conning who?”

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Cast

Anjelica Huston
Lilly Dillon
John Cusack
Roy Dillon
Annette Bening
Myra Langtry
Jan Munroe
Guy in bar
Robert Weems
Racetrack Announcer
Stephen Tobolowsky
Jeweler
Jimmy Noonan
Bartender
Richard Holden
Cop

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Stephen Frears
Writers: Donald E. Westlake
Languages: English
Countries: Canada, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

36 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Canada, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Stephen Frears, shot by Oliver Stapleton. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Elmer Bernstein. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Mick Audsley shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Anjelica Huston and John Cusack and Annette Bening carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Seduction. Betrayal. Murder. Who’s conning who?".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0099703 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Stephen Frears directs. Oliver Stapleton behind the camera. Elmer Bernstein scores. Mick Audsley cuts. Produced in Canada, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

136 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2International production across 2 countries: Canada, United States of America.
3Directed by Stephen Frears, shot by Oliver Stapleton. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Elmer Bernstein. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Mick Audsley shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Anjelica Huston and John Cusack and Annette Bening carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Seduction. Betrayal. Murder. Who’s conning who?".
8IMDB entry: tt0099703 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 8 themes, including "based on novel or book", "con man", "con artist", "los angeles, california".

The technical file

Cinematography: Oliver Stapleton
Original score: Elmer Bernstein
Editing: Mick Audsley
Production design: Dennis Gassner
Costume design: Richard Hornung
Makeup / hair: Julie Hewett
Sound: Peter Maxwell
Stunt coordinator: Gary Jensen
Runtime: 110 min · 1h 50m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $13,446,769
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Grifters (1990)
Rotten Tomatoes: 92% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 86/100
IMDB rating: 6.8/10 · 33,749 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

Nominated for 4 Oscars. 11 wins & 21 nominations total

National Board of Review: Top Ten Films

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Stephen Frears

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2014-11-15
★ 9/10
My son is going to be all right. If not, I'll have you killed. The Grifters is directed by Stephen Frears and adapted to screenplay by Donald E. Westlake from the novel of the same name written by Jim Thompson. It stars Anjelica Huston, John Cusack and Annette Bening. Music is by Elmer Bernstein and cinematography by Oliver Stapleton. “The best reason I can think of is that you scare the hell out of me. I have seen women like you before, baby. You're double-tough and you are sharp as a razor, and you get what you want or else; but you don't make it work forever. Sooner or later the lightning hits, and I'm not gonna be around when it hits you” 1990 was a grand year for neo-noir, of the dozen + titles that came out that year, The Grifters sits atop of the pile. A superlative film noir that boasts class on the page and on both sides of the camera. Set in modern day Los Angeles, the story follows three cynical and sly con artists through a psychological fog of bluff, double bluff, pain, misery, manipulations and shattering developments. That the trio consists of a boyfriend, girlfriend and an estranged mother only darkens the seamy waters still further. Los Angeles positively bristles with a smouldering atmosphere thanks to the work of Frears, Bernstein and Stapleton. Sexual tension is ripe, Westlake’s adaptation doing justice to Thompson’s novel, while the three leads – and Pat Hingle in super support – are on fire, bringing complex characters vividly to life as they trawl through the devilishly labyrinthine plot, adding biting humour and shallow savagery into the bargain. A top draw neo-noir that doesn’t cut corners or pull its punches, from the split screen opening salvo to the pitch black finale, The Grifters delivers high quality for neo-noir fans. 9/10

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