If you walked into a theater in 1990 expecting a standard caper movie, you probably walked out feeling like you’d been punched in the gut. Hard. The Grifters isn’t interested in the "lovable rogue" trope that Hollywood usually pushes. There are no Ocean’s Eleven high-fives here. Instead, Stephen Frears gave us a movie about three people who are so addicted to the "short con" and the "long con" that they’ve effectively erased their own souls. It’s mean. It’s vibrant. It’s neon-soaked and sun-bleached all at once. Honestly, it’s a masterpiece of discomfort.
The movie follows Roy Dillon (John Cusack), a small-time operator who thinks he’s much smarter than he actually is. Then there’s his estranged mother, Lilly (Anjelica Huston), who works for a violent bookie and looks like she’s been carved out of ice. Rounding out this dysfunctional trio is Myra (Annette Bening), Roy's girlfriend, who is looking for a partner to help her get back into the big-league "con." When these three collide, the result isn't a team-up. It's a demolition derby.
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Jim Thompson’s Brutal Legacy
You can't talk about The Grifters without talking about Jim Thompson. He wrote the 1963 novel the film is based on, and the man was the king of "dimestore dostoevsky" fiction. Thompson didn't care about happy endings. He cared about the psychological rot that happens when you live on the fringes of society.
Donald Westlake, another legend of the crime genre, wrote the screenplay. It’s a match made in hell. Westlake kept the razor-sharp dialogue but allowed Frears to inject a weird, almost theatrical visual style. Most noir films are dark and rainy. This one? It’s bright. It’s California sunshine that feels oppressive. It makes the sleaze look even dirtier because there’s nowhere for the characters to hide.
Most people get this movie wrong by trying to find a hero. Stop looking. Roy is a loser who thinks he’s a player. Myra is a predator who uses her sexuality as a blunt force instrument. Lilly is… well, Lilly is a force of nature. Anjelica Huston’s performance is haunting because she shows us a woman who has survived by killing every bit of maternal instinct she ever had.
The Psychology of the Short Con
Roy works the "short con." He goes into bars and switches a $20 bill for a $10 bill while the bartender is distracted. It’s petty. It’s dangerous for very little reward. Why do it? Because for Roy, it’s not about the money. It’s about the "sting." It’s about knowing something the person across the counter doesn't.
- The 20-for-10 Switch: This is Roy's bread and butter.
- The Mutual Benefit: Myra’s specialty, where she convinces marks they are both in on a scam.
- The Odds-Shifting: Lilly’s high-stakes world of track betting.
Myra wants Roy to go "long." She wants the big scores that require months of setup. But Roy is terrified of her. He sees too much of his mother in Myra, which is where the movie gets into some really murky, Oedipal territory. The tension between Lilly and Myra isn't just about Roy; it’s a territorial war between two different eras of grifting.
Why the Ending Still Shocks
Without spoiling the specifics for the three people who haven't seen it, the climax of The Grifters is one of the most cynical moments in cinema history. It involves a glass of water, a desperate mistake, and a choice that defines "cold-blooded."
A lot of critics at the time, including Roger Ebert, pointed out that the film works because it treats its characters like lab rats. We are watching them navigate a maze of their own making. When the walls start closing in, they don't turn to each other for help. They step on each other to reach the exit. It’s a stark contrast to the way 21st-century movies often try to make villains "relatable." In this film, they are just desperate.
Production Secrets and Style
The look of the film was heavily influenced by the cinematographer Oliver Stapleton. He used a palette that felt slightly "off." The colors are too saturated. The clothing, designed by Richard Hornung, feels like it belongs in the 1940s even though the movie is set in the 1990s. This creates a timeless, purgatory-like feel. These characters aren't part of the modern world; they are ghosts of an older, meaner era.
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Martin Scorsese actually produced this. You can feel his fingerprints on the pacing. It has that nervous energy he loves, but Frears keeps it more clinical. It’s less "Goodfellas" and more of a Greek tragedy played out in cheap motels.
The Performance of a Lifetime
Anjelica Huston earned an Oscar nomination for her role as Lilly, and she should have won. She spent hours in the makeup chair getting her hair bleached and her skin made to look "hardened." She plays Lilly as someone who is constantly calculating the distance to the nearest exit.
Annette Bening, meanwhile, is a revelation. Before this, she wasn't the household name she is now. She plays Myra with a chirpy, terrifying vacuum where her conscience should be. Her laugh is one of the most unsettling sounds in the movie. When she tries to seduce Roy into a partnership, it feels less like a romance and more like a sales pitch for a pyramid scheme.
John Cusack is the "straight man" here, but even he is warped. He spends half the movie clutching his stomach because he got hit with a heavy club early on. That physical pain mirrors his internal state. He’s literally rotting from the inside out because of the life he’s chosen.
Real-World Grifting vs. Movie Magic
While the movie is stylized, the "cons" it depicts are based on real techniques. The "smack" or "the store" were real-life long cons used in the early 20th century. Jim Thompson grew up around these types of people. He knew that the best grifters don't look like criminals. They look like your neighbor. They look like a grieving mother. They look like a girl next door.
In today’s world of digital scams and phishing, the tactile nature of The Grifters feels almost nostalgic. There’s something visceral about watching a physical "switch" of cash. It requires nerves of steel. If you mess up, you don't just get your account banned; you get a blackjack to the ribs.
How to Watch It Today
If you’re going to watch The Grifters, don't do it while you’re scrolling on your phone. It’s a movie of glances. A lot of the story is told in the way Lilly looks at Roy’s money, or the way Myra watches Lilly.
- Pay attention to the sound design. The clicking of heels and the rustle of money are emphasized to make the world feel materialistic.
- Look for the "tell." Every character has one. Roy’s is his arrogance. Myra’s is her desperation. Lilly’s is her survival instinct.
- Compare it to The Sting. One is a fun romp. The other—this one—is a funeral.
Essential Next Steps for Noir Fans
If you've finished the film and find yourself haunted by its bleak outlook, you aren't alone. It’s a movie that stays with you. To truly appreciate the depth of what Frears and Thompson achieved, you should pivot your focus toward the source material and the "L.A. Noir" subgenre that this film revitalized.
- Read the Novel: Pick up Jim Thompson's original 1963 book. It is even darker than the movie. The internal monologues of the characters provide a much deeper look into their sociopathy.
- Explore the "Black Series": Look into the French Série Noire films. The Grifters has a very European sensibility despite its California setting, likely due to Stephen Frears' British roots.
- Watch 'After Hours': If you liked the "everything that can go wrong will go wrong" energy, Martin Scorsese’s After Hours is a perfect companion piece, though it leans more into dark comedy.
- Study the Score: Listen to Elmer Bernstein's soundtrack separately. It’s quirky, using woodwinds in a way that feels playful but "wrong," perfectly capturing the grifter's mindset.
The biggest takeaway from The Grifters is the realization that in a world of predators, there is no such thing as "family." There are only assets and liabilities. It’s a tough lesson, but as the movie proves, it makes for incredible cinema.