The Sting II (1983)

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Although penned by the same screenwriter, David S. Ward, this sequel to The Sting (1973) is tarnished by comparisons to its predecessor. Jackie Gleason fills the shoes of Paul Newman as Harry Gondorff and Mac Davis slips into the Robert Redford role of Johnny Hooker, two con men pals whose latest… More Although penned by the same screenwriter, David S. Ward, this sequel to The Sting (1973) is tarnished by comparisons to its predecessor. Jackie Gleason fills the shoes of Paul Newman as Harry Gondorff and Mac Davis slips into the Robert Redford role of Johnny Hooker, two con men pals whose latest "sting" involves Hooker pretending to be a down on his luck boxer. Their goal is the fixing of a prizefight, which will rook a tacky nightclub owner (Karl Malden) out of a fortune while simultaneously getting revenge on their old nemesis, Doyle Lonnegan (Oliver Reed). On their side is Veronica (Teri Garr), a seasoned scam artist, but what Gondorff and Hooker don't know is that Lonnegan is manipulating events behind the scenes. Director Jeremy Paul Kagan followed up this terribly unfunny and inferior sequel with the much better received The Journey of Natty Gann (1985), while Ward became a director of such comedies as Major League (1989) and King Ralph (1991). ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 41 min.
Directed By: Jeremy Kagan, Jeremy Kagen
Genres: Comedy

In Theaters: Feb 18, 1983 Wide
On DVD: Aug 3, 2004
Studio: MCA Universal Home Video

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RJ M

Here's a movie that has no right to work, but somehow it does. Jackie Gleason and Mac Davis play the characters made famous by Paul Newman and Robert Redford...and yet, they don't. While their characters share the same last names, and obviously are meant to be the same… More
Here's a movie that has no right to work, but somehow it does. Jackie Gleason and Mac Davis play the characters made famous by Paul Newman and Robert Redford...and yet, they don't. While their characters share the same last names, and obviously are meant to be the same characters, they all have different first names. I'm not sure what the intention was, but there you have it. When one of their old con gang is murdered by a mobster (same movitation from the first movie), they reuinte their gang to take him for everything he's worth. They are aided and hampered by the mobster they took for $500,000 years before. The individual performances by the two leads are fine enough, but they have none of the natural chemistry shared by Newman and Redford. Oliver Reed takes over for Robert Shaw as the Chicago banker they originally ripped off, and he has a certain fun with his role as the mystery manipulator of many of the characters. Karl Malden is the new mark, and he gives a good performance as the unknowing target of the con men's plan. Teri Garr is wooden as a 2x4 as Davis' love interest, and the lone woman in the con gang. Many people see this as blasphemy to the original, but while it is not even close to being in the same league as the first film, it's still an enjoyable con game, with its own share of twists and turns. Most of them predictable, but there are a couple of "didn't see that coming" moments. An interseting little distraction, and not nearly the cinematic afterbirth its been made out to be.

Cast

            Jackie Gleason as Gondorff

            Mac Davis as Hooker

            Teri Garr as Countess Veronique

            Karl Malden as Macalinski

            Oliver Reed as Doyle Lonnegan

            Bert Remsen as Kid Colors

            Michael Alldredge as Big Ohio

            Val Avery as O'Malley

            Ben Baker as Pyle

            Frances Bergen as Lady Dorsett

            Terri Berland as O'Malley's Girl

            Larry Bishop as Gallecher

            Bill Caplan as Ring Announcer

            Sidney Clute as Ticket Clerk

            Dan Dalton as Messenger

            Danny Dayton as Ring Announcer

            Hank Garrett as Cab Driver

            Tony Giorgio as Macalinski's Man Rossovich

            Larry Hankin as Handicap

            Harry James as Bandleader

            Jill Jaress as Gertie

            Monica Lewis as Band Singer

            Frank McCarthy as Lonnegan's Thug

            Bob O'Connell as Clancy

            Woodrow Parfrey as Georgie

            Rex Pierson as Healy

            Michael Raden as Fighter

            Ron Rifkin as Eddie

            Tim Rossovich as Typhoon Taylor

            Ron Stein as Macalinski's Guard Grimes

            Kathalina Veniero as Blonde with Kid Colors

            Carl Gottlieb as Maitre d'

            Bob Minor as Savitt

            Jose Perez as Carlos

            Cassandra Peterson as O'Malley's Girl

            Max Wright as Floor Manager

            Angela Louise Robinson as Doc Brown's Girl

            Cynthia Cypert as Girl in Club

            Marty Denkin as Referee

            David Ankrum as Waiter

            Howard Dayton as Pyle's Aide Egon

            Mel Pape as Ringside Announcer

            Guy Way as Macalinski's Goon

            Timothy Graham as Bartender Tom

            Richard Adams as Lonnegan's Thug

            Paul Willson as Man in Ticket Line

            John Hancock as Doc Brown
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