The Movie: Despite the fact that I didn't know this film won seven Oscars including "Best Picture", I have to say I was pretty unimpressed by it. It comes well recommended as being one of the best "heist" or "con" movies ever, but it seemed to me that this film dragged a bit, and the plot is so convoluted that sometimes you really have to just pause and sit down and think about exactly what is going on. There are so many double and triple-crosses going on that it gets tough to keep everything sorted out. Add the fact that as the film goes on it becomes more and more predictable, and I guess I can't really see how this film won so many awards.

The Sting is set in the 1930's and is about a young con man played by Robert Redford whose mentor and partner retires, and urges Redford to move on to bigger and better cons, and tells him to look up an old friend (Paul Newman) who should be able to help him get into some bigger scams. The film certainly is rather entertaining, particularly with its depictions of just how far con men have to go and the techniques they have to use to accomplish their goals, but it just didn't seem "Best Picture" quality to me!

The DVD: This is a rather disappointing DVD release, particularly for such an award winning film. The video transfer is pretty terrible, and pan-and-scan to boot. There's no widescreen version, and though the original film was shot in 1.85:1, this is not an un-matted 4:3 frame transfer. It's dim, dingy, and grainy, and overall looks "old", though I guess that works with the film in this case.

Audio is satisfactory, but definitely nothing spectacular. And as far as special features go, I think all there was were some filmographies and production notes, all in text. Overall a pretty dismal DVD release by any standard.