Plot: What’s it about?
Welcome to the world of the con game. There’s Roy (John Cusack), who makes his way with the old switcheroo of money, a young little number named Myra (Annette Bening) who uses her body to get what she wants and Lily (Anjelica Huston), an older woman who plays with the odds at the racetrack and reports to a shady character without a long shot pulling off the big one. But at this point, Roy wants to get out, Myra wants to move up and be partners wit Roy and what stands in the way is Lily who just happens to be Roy’s mother and its that connection that will play an angle that will change the lives of all three of them.
Usually these days when the big movies come out with a noirish element, there are umpteen twists and an ending so confusing that it takes days, and even months to figure it out and even repeat viewings can add on to the confusion. It’s been fifteen years since the release of this film and it was at a time when the twists were more subtle, the mood was gritty and straightforward and the performances flowed so well that anything extra would throw the entire movie off.
The Grifters seems to be lifted from a late forties, early fifties film noir that gets away with a little bit of color but manages to utilize the shadows, the eye lighting in the darkness and the bleak mood that the films of that genre and time were able to capture so well.
Here we have three central characters (the second of three consecutive Stephen Frears films that utilize that with Dangerous Liaisons being the first and Hero being the third) all of which are at the low point of what they do best and what angle they play with each other with the results being slightly better or slightly worse.
Lily, wonderfully played by Anjelica Huston, is tough, can spot a loser a mile away and puts her life on the line in the name of her son. Along the way however, she notices competition and proves no one can get around it better than her. Which brings on the up and comer Myra, another winning performance by Annette Bening, who has her own story of how she got into this mess of grifting and how there’s a part of her that would want to block it out for good by plotting a way with her boyfriend’s mom. Roy, a superb John Cusack, on the other hand had a big wake up call given to him when one of his tricks falls flat and it’s through this that the other 2 women don’t know if it’s a ploy for them to be scammed or if he truly is looking to get out with as much as he can.
This film not only has one of the most solid scores of any film of its type (thank you Elmer Bernstein) but also has a most unique intro for all three of our characters as well as a lead in narration at the beginning by one of the producers on the film to set the film in motion.
At just under two hours, The Grifters has the right balance of backstory and present day activity to fit a lot of info into one picture and all three score very well as well as the dialogue and the direction (which were well deserved their year).
Video: How’s it look?
The last time I saw this movie was back in the early 2000’s. I enjoyed it. But at the time I wasn’t watching movies and grading their video quality. That’s a different story these days. I know one thing – when Criterion gets their hands on something, they go all out and do the best they can with they’ve got. Granted, I didn’t expect this film to look like a modern-day film. I expected a bit of grain, possibly some dirt on the print and while looking good – it wouldn’t look great. And, that’s a pretty spot on impression of what I got. There was a new 4K scan done of the original negative, but the color seemed a bit off in scenes. Granted, it doesn’t take away from the overall presentation, but for those expecting this to be the end all/be all of transfers – look elsewhere.
Audio: How’s it sound?
The DTS HD Master Audio 2.0 track makes good use of balance between Donald Westlake’s dialogue and Elmer Bernstein’s score along with the effects thrown into the mix. The outer channels get to the meat of the score and of the effects while the front and center keeps the dialogue clear and easy to understand and makes good use of the surround track whether its the random helicopter noise or the ring of a telephone and that voice at the other end of the phone. Overall, a fairly good track.
Supplements: What are the extras?
- Audio Commentary – This track with director Stephen Frears, screenwriter Donald Westlake and cast members John Cusack and Anjelica Huston is chatty and one that rarely has a gap and has a lot to say about the making of this film. Some informative highlights include slight insight into author Jim Thompson’s life as well as who almost landed in both female roles before Huston and Bening came on board. It’s a well-balanced scene by scene and a very good commentary.
- The Making of The Grifters – Ported over from the Blu-ray is this feature that’s a bit grittier than the source material in looks but has a lot of info, along with some facts that were gone over in the commentary and once again, it’s the kind of repetition that a viewer (especially this one) doesn’t mind hearing again.
- Annette Bening – A new segment finds the acclaimed actress as she recounts her time on the film, working with Frears as well as recalling the novel. It’s nice to have a new feature and Bening is, as always, charming.
- Seduction, Betrayal, Murder – The most robust feature on the disc is this 75-minute segment with Frears as well as couple others who collaborated on the film. They recount the shoot, the source material and the story in general. It’s a great segment.
- The Jim Thompson Story – We hear from the biographer and Donald Westlake into some insights about the author of The Grifters as well as incorporating similarities from the film and his life in all.
- Theatrical Trailer
- Illustrated Booklet – Critic Geoffrey O’Brien contributes an essay on the film in this illustrated leaflet as well as some standard production stills from the film.
The Bottom Line
I’ve always liked this movie. It surprises me that I haven’t made time to watch it more over the years. And that’s a shame. It serves as a nice transition for Cusack from the 80’s “teen” image he acquired in films like Better Off Dead, Sixteen Candles and One Crazy Summer to his more serious roles. Criterion’s transfer is good, but not great but the archival features as well as a new one more than make up for it.
