John Cusack Film Fest Movie #9
Synopsis: John Cusack is a sleazy rogue who desperately wishes to become a
wealthy, um…*ahem*... motherfucker.
Blurb From the VHS
Jacket: “Three con artists become involved in a web of personal and
professional double dealings for love, money and eventually survival.”
What Did I Learn?:
You can make lots of money through insurance fraud if you don’t mind getting
smacked with a dozen oranges wrapped up in a towel.
You Might Like This
Movie If: You would love to learn how to make an easy $20.
Really?: 1) Gee…what
are the odds of the Mom, the son, and the son’s girlfriend all being grifters,
and none of them initially knowing the other two are on the grift? 2) I had a
bit of trouble believing Cusack could have amassed such a fortune through
nickel-and-dime cons, or that anyone would bother making a living by
substituting ten-and-twenty dollar bills. 3) So wait…I realize XXX wants the
mob to believe she’s dead, but couldn’t she have taken her stolen loot with her
from the Phoenix motel? Or at least some of the cash? 4) You have to be one
cold son-of-a-bitch to refuse to help your Mom, especially after she saved your
life earlier in the film. 5) I had a LOT of trouble believing a Mom – even one
who’s estranged from her son – would seriously attempt to seduce him for cash.
Rating: While it’s more of an Anjelica Huston film than a John Cusack vehicle,
The Grifters is one of his finest (albeit most disturbing) movies. Based upon a
Jim Thompson pulp novel from the 1950s, The
Grifters takes an unsentimental look at both con artists and the mob. Set
to a musical score that’s best described as menacing, the movie is filled with
great performances (especially from Huston – she plays a truly cold bitch) and several
scenes that will almost certainly make you uncomfortable. Great drama, but it’s a little too
contrived for a perfect score. Highly
recommended. 9/10 stars.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099703/
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