This is a film of some renown, directed by the lesser known Stephen Frears but the project was initiated and produced by Martin Scorsese. It won some awards and stars some serious talent. However my expectations that it is a heist film of some kind was completely dashed and indeed everything in it was a complete surprise to me. Yet it is not in my mind a good film as it breaks too many rules of the genre and has a pacing that just feels too off. What a very odd film indeed.

Roy Dillon is a small time grifter who limits himself to little scams like tricking bartenders into giving him too much change and hustling dice games. He is hit and injured by one such bartender after being found out. His mother Lilly places bets at the horseracing track on behalf of a mobster. When he succumbs to the injury during her visit, she arranges for him to be sent to the hospital. Roy’s girlfriend Myra is a con artist as well and occasional prostitute. She tries to get Roy to be her partner in a big con but he resists. When Myra and Lilly meet in the hospital, they take an instant dislike to each other. Lilly warns Roy against staying in the grifter lifestyle while Myra wants him to move into the big leagues. Myra also accuses Roy of having an incestuous interest in his mother and indeed there are superficial similarities in the way that they look and dress.

As I mentioned, the initial setup for this film gives you the impression that it’s going to be based around some epic heist. There isn’t one and in fact, there isn’t much of a main plot at all. Instead this is really a psychological profile of the three main characters and the collision of their personalities. All three are to varying degrees addicted to the rush of grifting, which keeps them from settling down and living a regular life as what they call a square. Myra’s accusation of Roy’s incestuous urges adds extra spice and of course it is true even if Roy doesn’t realize it himself before it is pointed out to him. This is a setup that has some potential but I still feel that there isn’t enough story going on. Everything is mostly backstory and Myra and Lilly don’t actually interact with one another enough to justify the immense amount of bad blood between the two. When things do get moving, it’s such a shock as this level of hateful violence feels like it comes out of nowhere.

Being all setup with little payoff, I feel that the film lacks energy and the pacing is all wrong. Actions and consequences seem all out of proportion. Early on Roy gets caught by a bartender and is punched in the stomach. He seems to walk it off but then it becomes a huge plot point as he almost dies of it. I don’t really understand what Lilly does for her boss or why she needs to stash a huge amount of cash in her car. Does Roy reject Myra because he has a more cautious nature or is it because of Lilly’s influence as Myra says? It’s hard to say. The whole time I feel like the film ought to be good or is on the verge of being good but it never does. Anyway, there are any number of films about conmen so it’s not like this one is particularly needed. I’m puzzled by why this film is as highly regarded as it is and I would give this a firm no.