The Grifters (1990)

Director:

Stephen Frears

Writers (WGA):

Jim Thompson (novel)
Donald E. Westlake (screenplay)

Release Date:

4 January 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Seduction. Betrayal. Murder. Who's Conning Who?

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Con | Con Artist | Elevator | Con Trick | Female Criminal

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 8 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Anjelica Huston	...	Lilly Dillon
John Cusack	...	Roy Dillon
Annette Bening	...	Myra Langtry
Jan Munroe	...	Guy at Bar
Robert Weems	...	Racetrack Announcer
Stephen Tobolowsky	...	Jeweler
Jimmy Noonan	...	Bartender
Richard Holden	...	Cop
Henry Jones	...	Simms
Michael Laskin	...	Irv
Eddie Jones	...	Mintz
Sandy Baron	...	Doctor
Lou Hancock	...	Nurse
Gailard Sartain	...	Joe
Noelle Harling	...	Nurse Carol Flynn
Ivette Soler	...	Maid
Pat Hingle	...	Bobo Justus
Paul Adelstein	...	Sailor - Young Paul
Jeremy Piven	...	Sailor - Freshman
Gregory Sporleder	...	Sailor - Spooney
David Sinaiko	...	Sailor - Stinky
Jeff Perry	...	Drunk
Jon Gries	...	Drunk's Friend (as Jonathan Gries)
Micole Mercurio	...	Waitress
Charles Napier	...	Gloucester Hebbing
J.T. Walsh	...	Cole
Teresa Gilmore	...	Receptionist 1 (as Teresa Gilmore Capps)
Elizabeth Ann Feeley	...	Receptionist 2
Billy Ray Sharkey	...	FBI Man
Frances Bay	...	Arizona Motel Clerk
Xander Berkeley	...	Lt. Pierson
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Steven Anderson	...	Nervous man in jewelry shop (uncredited)
Fawn	...	Young Teenager (uncredited)
John Gillespie	...	Bartender (uncredited)
Lee Hollingsworth	...	Dog race spectator (uncredited)
Juliet Landau	...	Young Lilly (uncredited)
Martin Scorsese	...	Opening Voice-over (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Stephen Frears

Writing credits (WGA)
Jim Thompson		(novel)
Donald E. Westlake		(screenplay)

Produced by
Barbara De Fina	....	executive producer
Robert A. Harris	....	producer
Jim Painter	....	producer
Peggy Rajski	....	co-producer
Martin Scorsese	....	producer

Original Music by
Elmer Bernstein

Cinematography by
Oliver Stapleton

Film Editing by
Mick Audsley

Casting by
Juliet Taylor
Victoria Thomas

Production Design by
Dennis Gassner

Art Direction by
Leslie McDonald

Set Decoration by
Nancy Haigh

Costume Design by
Richard Hornung

Makeup Department
Cydney Cornell	....	hair stylist
Gina DiMaria	....	assistant makeup artist (as Gina Di Maria)
Alec Gillis	....	special makeup effects artist
Lori Guidroz	....	assistant hair stylist
Julie Hewett	....	makeup artist
Tom Woodruff Jr.	....	special makeup effects artist

Production Management
Fiona Morham	....	post-production supervisor
Llewellyn Wells	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
J. Stephen Buck	....	first assistant director (as Stephen Buck)
Joe Camp III	....	second assistant director (as Joseph Camp III)

Art Department
Paige Augustine	....	assistant set decorator
Curtis Baruth	....	carpenter
Rob Brown	....	carpenter
Bill Cancienne	....	assistant property master
Linda Cathey	....	swing gang
Shelley Chamberlain	....	stand-by painter
Joseph Timothy Conway	....	assistant property master (as Joseph Conway)
Michael T. Daigle	....	key scenic artist (as Michael Daigle)
Frank Darlington	....	stand-by painter (as Frank Peter Darlington)
Marina Drasnin	....	art department intern
Douglas Fox	....	property master (as Doug Fox)
Lucy Frears	....	art department intern
Claire Gaul	....	assistant set decorator
Robert Greenfield	....	leadperson
Joe Griffith	....	storyboard artist (as Joseph F. Griffith)
Mike Keith	....	stand-by painter
Roger L. King	....	carpenter
Leslie 'Tinker' Linville	....	key set dresser (as Tinker Linville)
John Moore	....	carpenter
Scott Plauche	....	art department coordinator
Elizabeth Prejean	....	stand-by painter
John Setzer	....	carpenter
Chris Snyder	....	construction foreman
Chris L. Spellman	....	swing gang (as Chris Spellman)
Joseph Torres	....	carpenter
Theo Van Den Huevel	....	carpenter (as Theo Van Den Heuvel)
Frank Viviano	....	construction coordinator
Wallace W. Wright	....	stand-by painter

Sound Department
Mick Boggis	....	assistant sound mixer
Jeremy Child	....	assistant dialogue editor
Richard Dunford	....	foley editor
Derek Holding	....	dialogue editor
Peter Maxwell	....	sound re-recording mixer
Folasade Oyeleye	....	assistant sound editor
Kant Pan	....	supervising sound editor
Gill Parry	....	assistant sound editor
John Sutton	....	sound mixer
Ian C. Wright	....	boom operator (as Ian Wright)
Steve Hancock	....	sound camera operator (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Peter Watson	....	opticals

Stunts
John Gillespie	....	assistant stunt coordinator
Gary Jensen	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Steve Austin	....	video playback operator
James Babineaux	....	best boy electric
Joe Broderick	....	assistant Steadicam operator
Katherine M. Butler	....	second assistant camera (as Kate Butler)
George M. Chappell	....	electrician
Mark Shane Davis	....	key grip (as Mark Davis)
Jack English	....	gaffer
Irv Gorman	....	grip
Scott Graves	....	electrician
Kurt Grossi	....	grip
Suzanne Hanover	....	still photographer
Stephen Harvey	....	titles still photographer
Steve Lang	....	grip
Mitchell Linden	....	grip
Marco Mazzei	....	first assistant camera
Tony Mazzucchi	....	best boy grip
Matthew Morrissey	....	third assistant camera
Toby Phillips	....	Steadicam operator
Bill Pierson	....	dolly grip
Darrin C. Porter	....	electrician (as Darrin Porter)
Marc Reshovsky	....	director of photography: second unit
Pierre Rouger	....	first assistant camera: second unit
Greg Wardell	....	electrician

Casting Department
Sunny Seibel	....	extras casting: Phoenix
Jory Weitz	....	casting associate

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Kimberly Adams-Galligan	....	assistant costume designer (as Kimberly Adams)
Marsha Bozeman	....	wardrobe (as Marsha Brand)
Mark Bridges	....	assistant costume designer
Elizabeth Feldbauer	....	wardrobe supervisor
Gail McMullen	....	wardrobe assistant

Editorial Department
Julie Feiner	....	first assistant editor: Los Angeles
Dan Gane	....	second assistant editor: London
Martyn Robinson	....	first assistant editor: London
Mary Ann Slim	....	post-production assistant
Brian Ufberg	....	second assistant editor: Los Angeles

Music Department
Brian Masterson	....	music recordist
Cynthia Millar	....	electronic music designer

Transportation Department
Moises Blay	....	driver (as Moses Blay)
Fred Falcone	....	driver
Al Goelz	....	driver
A. Welch Lambeth	....	transportation coordinator
Tony Laron	....	transportation co-captain
Bill Oykman	....	driver
Bill M. Puluti	....	transportation captain (as Bill Puluti)
Terry Ragan	....	driver
Urs Stalder	....	driver

Other crew
Catherine Anderson	....	production assistant
Beth Bernstein	....	assistant production coordinator
William C. Breen	....	consultant
Sharon A. Briggs	....	assistant: Barbara De Fina (as Sharon Briggs)
Kathleen M. Courtney	....	production coordinator
Mary Cybulski	....	script supervisor
Richard Davis Jr.	....	location manager (as Richard Davis)
Dean Dill	....	consultant
Tom Gamble	....	production assistant
Nan Garcia-Wood	....	medic
Chris Grant	....	cook
Daniel Grant	....	cook
Vincent Gratzer	....	promotions
Jody Hummer	....	assistant location manager
Brian Jochum	....	production assistant
Julia Judge	....	assistant: Martin Scorsese
Shannon Kane	....	assistant production accountant
Peter E. Nunnery	....	production assistant (as Peter Nunnery)
Roger Phillips	....	title designer
Pablo Prietto	....	production assistant
Cynthia Quan	....	production accountant
Ronald M. Quigley	....	location manager: second unit (as Ronald Quigley)
Tiffany Rosen	....	production secretary
Julian Rothenstein	....	title designer
Andrew Varela	....	promotions
Dan Winkle	....	production assistant
Craig Caton	....	creature crew (uncredited)
Michael Jackman	....	post-production accountant (uncredited)
Donnie Saylor	....	technical consultant (uncredited)
Gregg Singer	....	talent assistant (uncredited)

Thanks
Anne Harrison	....	special thanks
Kim Jacobsen	....	thanks
Bruce Kawin	....	special thanks
Debra Knoblauch	....	thanks
Frank Kush	....	thanks
Victoria Ann Varga	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Cineplex-Odeon Films

Distributors

• Home Box Office Home Video (HBO) (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Finnkino (1991) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Gaumont (1991) (France) (theatrical)
• Miramax Films (1990) (USA) (theatrical)
• Palace Pictures (1990) (UK) (theatrical)
• Alliance Atlantis Home Video (2002) (Canada) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (1991) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Cineplex-Odeon Home Video (1991) (Canada) (VHS)
• Flashstar Home Vídeo (199?) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Lume Filmes (2008) (Brazil) (DVD)
• MCA (1991) (Canada) (VHS)
• Oy Europa Vision AB (1992) (Finland) (VHS)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2008) (Finland) (DVD)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1998) (Finland) (TV)

Special Effects

• Image Engineering (special effects)
• The Film Business Inc.

Other Companies

• Phoenix Film Office  thanks (as Phoenix Film Commission)
• Turf Paradise Race Course  thanks (as Turf Paradise Race Track)
• The Donna Karan Company  thanks (as Donna Karan Company)
• Victoria Varga  thanks (as Victoria Ann Varga)
• L.A. Eyeworks  thanks
• Charles Jourdan  thanks
• Giorgio Armani  thanks
• Mansour Travel Co.  thanks (as Kim Jacobson and Mansour Travel Company)
• Miller Brewing Company  thanks
• Pepsi-Cola Company  thanks
• SkyWest  thanks
• Andrea Jaffe  thanks (as M/S Billings Publicity-Andrea Jaffe Inc.)
• M/S Billings Publicity Ltd.  thanks (as M/S Billings Publicity-Andrea Jaffe Inc.)
• Anne Harrison  thanks
• George Howe  thanks
• Albert G. Ruben and Company  insurance
• Carla Pool  craft service
• De Lane Lea Sound Centre  re-recording
• Film Finance  bond company
• Filmtrucks  grip/electric equipment
• Frameline Productions  titles
• J. Arthur Rank Film Distributors  extract from "The Lady Vanishes" (as Rank Film Distributors Ltd.)
• Sapex Scripts  post-production script services
• Some Like It Hot  catering
• Superior Casting  extras casting
• TBS Casting  extras casting
• Varèse Sarabande  soundtrack

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:18 | Netherlands:12 | Argentina:18 | Australia:M | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | Norway:15

Filming Locations:

Arizona, USA

Company:

Cineplex-Odeon Films

Trivia:

The Arizona motel sequence, from Lilly's approach through her dialogue with the clerk, mirrors that in Psycho (1960)

Goofs:

Continuity: In the train, when Roy is grifting the sailors, you can see that he is only rolling one die at a time. However, you can distinctly hear him drop two dice (out of the frame) to the table at the end of the game.

Quotes:

Myra Langtry: Don't tell me. You're Addison Simms of Seattle! And we had lunch together in the fall of 1902!

Movie Connections:

Features The Lady Vanishes (1938)

Soundtrack:

DO YOU DO YOU LOVE ME

A seedy underbelly of life exposed for all to see

Years ago, this was one of the films I was quite pleased with myself for seeing. I didn't know much about it, but decided to take a chance on it, with no regrets. From the opening sequence to the end credits I was mesmerized and in awe of events that communicated an entirely alien philosophy. Based on the novel by Jim Thompson, "The Grifters" tells a tale of a world that lies just under the surface of the one we know of. That is of course, if you count yourself among the squares and suckers who often fall prey to the craftsmen of the grift.

With startling precision, intrigue and depth, the story unfolds chronicling the lives of three distinctly different yet intertwined individuals. Their setting and perspective is entirely foreign to the majority of us. The filmmakers portray the grifters' different methods and environments as skilled scam artists. For unless you've had a personal experience having fallen prey or gotten wise to a grifter's ploy, you'll simply have to accept the reality of it. They are out there, waiting for the suckers to be born.

This particularly dark tale is very stylishly directed and moves along at a good pace. Each turn offers another sneak peek into the games played and the tricks pulled. The prey are often unaware of their own victimization as they go on about their business.

Another aspect the film deals with is trust or the lack thereof. Our protagonists spend most of their time scamming, conning and tricking people so much that their sense of trust and decency breaks down. They alienate themselves from everyone, and ultimately can't even trust each other.

And of course, what drama would be complete without a twisted love triangle in the mix with betrayal and murder to keep it interesting. If this doesn't sound like another day at the office, you might just find the workplace of "The Grifters" intriguing. Seeing it today, I enjoyed it as much as I did years ago, before I opened my eyes for a fresh look at the world.