For your viewing (and study) pleasure...

I watched one of my favorite movies tonight. It’s called The Sting. For the handful of you who aren’t familiar with this movie, it’s a 1973 release starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford. It won Best Picture for that year. I haven’t seen it in quite a while, so I thought I’d pop it in the ol’ DVD player. I’ll tell ya, you’ll find very few movies that have as solid a storyline as The Sting. The script, by David S. Ward, is perfect. There’s not a trace of fat to be found. The direction, by George Roy Hill, is flawless. Then you have Newman and Redford. C’mon, you can't do any better than those two guys. (As many of you know, George Roy Hill directed Newman and Redford in another one of my all-time favorites, the classic Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.) I have the script for The Sting in my collection – I think I’ll dig it out and re-read it. So, ladies and gents, if you’re looking for a movie and screenplay to study, I strongly recommend you turn to The Sting. You won’t be sorry.

My book, Q & A: The Working Screenwriter, at The Writers Store!