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The Grifters

  • 19901990
  • RR
  • 1h 50m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
28K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
8,205
313
John Cusack, Annette Bening, and Anjelica Huston in The Grifters (1990)
Home Video Trailer from Miramax
Play trailer1:41
2 Videos
28 Photos
CrimeDramaThriller
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.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.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.
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
28K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
8,205
313
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Stephen Frears
    • Writers
      • Jim Thompson(novel)
      • Donald E. Westlake(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • Anjelica Huston
      • John Cusack
      • Annette Bening
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Stephen Frears
    • Writers
      • Jim Thompson(novel)
      • Donald E. Westlake(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • Anjelica Huston
      • John Cusack
      • Annette Bening
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 113User reviews
    • 67Critic reviews
    • 86Metascore
    • Nominated for 4 Oscars
      • 10 wins & 21 nominations total

    Videos2

    The Grifters
    Trailer 1:41
    The Grifters
    5 Forgotten Gems From 1990
    Clip 4:04
    5 Forgotten Gems From 1990

    Photos28

    The Grifters (1990)
    The Grifters (1990)
    John Cusack, Annette Bening, and Anjelica Huston in The Grifters (1990)
    John Cusack, Annette Bening, and Anjelica Huston in The Grifters (1990)
    John Cusack, Annette Bening, and Anjelica Huston in The Grifters (1990)
    John Cusack, Annette Bening, and Anjelica Huston in The Grifters (1990)
    John Cusack, Annette Bening, and Anjelica Huston in The Grifters (1990)
    John Cusack, Annette Bening, and Anjelica Huston in The Grifters (1990)
    John Cusack, Annette Bening, and Anjelica Huston in The Grifters (1990)
    Anjelica Huston and Pat Hingle in The Grifters (1990)
    John Cusack, Annette Bening, and Anjelica Huston in The Grifters (1990)
    Annette Bening in The Grifters (1990)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Anjelica Huston
    Anjelica Huston
    • Lilly Dillon
    John Cusack
    John Cusack
    • Roy Dillon
    Annette Bening
    Annette Bening
    • Myra Langtry
    Jan Munroe
    Jan Munroe
    • Guy at Bar
    Robert Weems
    • Racetrack Announcer
    Stephen Tobolowsky
    Stephen Tobolowsky
    • Jeweler
    Jimmy Noonan
    Jimmy Noonan
    • Bartender
    Richard Holden
    • Cop
    Henry Jones
    Henry Jones
    • Simms
    Michael Laskin
    Michael Laskin
    • Irv
    Eddie Jones
    Eddie Jones
    • Mintz
    Sandy Baron
    Sandy Baron
    • Doctor
    Lou Hancock
    Lou Hancock
    • Nurse
    Gailard Sartain
    Gailard Sartain
    • Joe
    Noelle Harling
    Noelle Harling
    • Nurse Carol Flynn
    Ivette Soler
    Ivette Soler
    • Maid
    Pat Hingle
    Pat Hingle
    • Bobo Justus
    Paul Adelstein
    Paul Adelstein
    • Sailor - Young Paul
    • Director
      • Stephen Frears
    • Writers
      • Jim Thompson(novel)
      • Donald E. Westlake(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      In a late 2013 interview, Anjelica Huston described this role as the most challenging one of her career.
    • Goofs
      Lily unscrews both light bulbs in the hallway outside Roy's apartment. In a following cut, Roy is seen entering his apartment from a well-lit hallway.
    • Quotes

      Lilly Dillon: Well, sure, Roy. You want me to drive up - ? Okay, fine, come on down. It won't be a home-cooked meal, you know.

      Roy Dillon: Well, that's good news.

    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: The Rookie/Berkeley in the Sixties/Edward Scissorhands/The Grifters (1990)
    • Soundtracks
      Do Ya, Do Ya Love Me?
      Performed by Dream World

      Words & Music by Pete Theodore and Emilie A. Bernstein (as Emily Bernstein)

    User reviews113

    Review
    Top review
    Three For One Odds
    Most films have one, and only one, protagonist around whom the story is told. But "The Grifters" has three, all of them petty swindlers, desperate for quick cash or good odds at a "long con". And it's the personal relationships among these three criminals, complex, sometimes dark, and almost always motivated by survival, that make this film a pretty good bet.

    Roy Dillon (John Cusack), is a trickster, a loner, "on the grift" for the "short con", strictly a nickels and dimes man. His mom is Lilly (Anjelica Huston); she's a middle-aged lady with white hair; she's seductive, cold-blooded, and tough as nails; she's been around the block a few times. Roy's love interest is Myra (Annette Bening), a shapely, fun loving babe who uses her charms to con rich businessmen. These three people are highly manipulative and scheming, on-guard, and mistrustful of each other and the rest of the world.

    The film's tone is bleak and gloomy. There's very little "heart" in this film. And that's a problem, because I found these characters not very sympathetic. They lead lives of quiet desperation, grimy and tawdry. Still, "The Grifters" is a crime story in the best tradition of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, a pulpy melodrama about the underbelly of urban America.

    The film's structure is conventional, and contains a number of flashbacks. The set-up is tediously long. The second half of the film is better than the first half, in my opinion, because the second half contains more suspense.

    Dialogue is direct and tough, like when Lilly makes her point to the ambulance driver who takes Roy to the hospital and is skeptical about Roy's chances for survival: Says Lilly: "My son is gonna be alright, if not, I'll have you killed". Later, she explains the facts of life to her son: "Grifts like anything else Roy, you don't stand still, you either go up or down, usually down, sooner or later". Yes indeed, it's a tough life being a "grifter"; but Lilly is one tough broad.

    The film's color cinematography is fine. And the film has a terrific title sequence and a great Elmer Bernstein score at the beginning. Editing, costumes, and production design are all credible.

    If you're in the mood for a gritty, bleak story of petty criminals in a well made modern film, "The Grifters" is a good choice. As a bonus, the DVD has an exceptionally good Commentary, with insightful comments from Director Stephen Frears, and actors John Cusack and Anjelica Huston.
    helpful•39
    6
    • Lechuguilla
    • Sep 18, 2007

    FAQ1

    • Is Lilly Roy's biological mother?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 25, 1991 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • Canada
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Ambiciones prohibidas
    • Filming locations
      • Bryson Hotel - 2701 Wilshire Boulevard, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Cineplex Odeon Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $13,446,769
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $71,034
      • Dec 9, 1990
    • Gross worldwide
      • $13,446,769
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 50 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Related news

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