THE CURBSIDE CRITERION: THE GRIFTERS

(Here at Hammer to Nail, we are all about true independent cinema. But we also have to tip our hat to the great films of yesteryear that continue to inspire filmmakers and cinephiles alike. This week, Brad Cook hustles into the new 4K release of The Grifters, the classic Stephen Frears con artist film.)

People who are always hustling to make a buck, whether of the legal, illegal, or maybe-kinda-legal variety, have always fascinated me, mostly because I’m the 180-degree opposite of that kind of personality.

Sure, I’ve had to do a certain amount of hustling when it comes to freelance writing, but once I have a nice spot to settle down in, I’ll stay there until kicked out. (Thanks for having me, Don!) I’m not constantly looking for another score, whether large or small, the way the characters in Stephen Frears’ 1990 Hollywood debut, The Grifters, do.

Based on the 1963 novel by pulp novelist Jim Thompson, the story opens on Lilly Dillon (Anjelica Huston), who travels on behalf of mobster Bobo Justus (Pat Hingle) to various race tracks placing bets that affect the odds. (I really don’t understand exactly what she’s doing and how it benefits the mob, which is another reason I’d fail miserably as a grifter.)

She stops in Los Angeles to visit her estranged son Roy (John Cusack) and quickly develops a dislike for his girlfriend, Myra (Annette Bening), who is a grifter too. Roy doesn’t initially know that about his girlfriend, but she reveals it to him and manages to draw him into some long-term cons involving wealthy men. He’s unsure about that, since he prefers cons of the short-term variety.

The points of that relationship triangle become electrified as Myra begins to resent the hold Lilly has over Roy, despite the fact that she wasn’t a very good mother. And Lilly is harboring her own secret: she’s skimming off the cash she hands over to the mob, which they’re willing to accept — up to a point.

In the end, The Grifters is a nice little spin around the neo-noir track, with a solid all-around cast and plenty of nice moments in the storyline. I’m reminded of Jack Nicholson’s comment about wanting “three great scenes and no bad ones” in the scripts he takes on, and that’s pretty much what we have here. And, yes, Frears was no stranger to that genre when he made this film, having previously directed the excellent little 1984 film The Hit.

This was my first time watching The Grifters, so I don’t have any prior thoughts on its home video image quality, but apparently some folks on the Internet are unhappy with the remastering work done for this new 4K Ultra HD release from Criterion. So buyer beware, your mileage may vary, etc. It looked fine to me, for what that’s worth.

A group commentary track with Frears, Cusack, Huston, and screenwriter Donald E. Westlake is the only extra found on the 4K disc. It was recorded in 2013 for a previous Criterion release of the film, and it’s a serviceable discussion that doesn’t fall into the two main cardinal sins of group commentaries — dead air and describing what’s on the screen — too often.

The only new extra is a 21-minute interview with Bening, who chats about a wide range of topics involving the film, including Thompson’s novel. It’s always nice when the authors of source material get their due in the bonus features.

Here’s what else you’ll find:

• The Making of The Grifters (17 minutes): The folks found in the commentary track, along with production designer Dennis Gassner, pop up here for a look into the production of the film and how the cast members felt about their characters.
• Seduction, Betrayal, Murder(75 minutes): This is a nice, meaty making-of that, unlike the previous item, gets into some of the friction around the production. Specifically, composer Elmer Bernstein apparently had some issues with Frears and others. Martin Scorsese’s involvement gets its due here too.
• The Jim Thompson Story(8 minutes): Short and sweet is better than nothing, I suppose, as prolific novelist Jim Thompson, who died in 1977, gets his turn in the spotlight. His legacy is worthy of so much more, of course, since several of his books became movies, but this is better than nothing.

A trailer rounds out the platter, and the obligatory paper booklet serves up an essay by critic Geoffrey O’Brien.

– Brad Cook (@BradCWriter)

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