Produced by Martin Scorsese and directed by Stephen Frears, ‘The Grifters’ is a neo-noir gem, a twisted tale about three criminals. It is based on Jim Thompson’s novel of the same name. Though it is limited to a modest budget, ‘The Grifters’ features a stellar cast who deliver outstanding performances. The taut, smart screenplay has two femme fatales, mobsters, and for the most part, features indoor sets like mansions, diners, offices, hospital rooms, and apartments, like most classic film noir movies. Of course, in typical neo-noir fashion, it extends the plot to include some adult scenes, gratuitous violence, and an offbeat end.

Lily (Angelica Houston), the mama grifter, works for Bobo Justus (Pat Hingle) in Baltimore, Maryland. She is an expert at over-betting at racetracks to decrease the odds of a long shot or rookie horse winning a race.

Her son Roy (John Cusack) has similar morals but employs his cunning at a lower grade, exploiting unsuspecting patrons in pubs and bars. Myra (Annette Benning), his girlfriend, another thief, is introduced in a scene where she attempts to sell fake jewelry as real but when called out by the shrewd jeweler, seduces him to negotiate a better deal.

On one occasion, Roy’s con goes kaput, and the target of the con thrusts a baseball bat violently into his stomach. Roy returns to his seedy apartment, where his landlord holds him in high regard, as Roy always pays on time. The next day, on assignment by her boss, Lily travels to La Jolla and stops en route in LA to visit Roy.

The meeting between mother and son is cold and uneasy, as the two have not been in touch for a while. Suddenly, Roy is in distress, suffering immense pain and almost passes out, as the effects of the previous day’s injury manifest themselves from dormancy.

A concerned Lily calls the medics and then threatens them with severe consequences if her son is not given proper care. At the hospital, she meets Myra and feels an instant dislike for her. Lily arrives late at a race in LA, and as a result, loses a lot of her boss’s money.

Returning to LA, on her way back from La Jolla, Lily checks in on Roy and advises him to give up criminal activity as he is not tough enough. She tries to hire a nurse from the hospital to break up his relationship with Myra. Roy is infuriated, and when his mother leaves, asks Myra to join on a trip to La Jolla. Myra joins him after negotiating a money-free deal with her landlord about her overdue rent.

Bobo, Lily’s boss, livid over Lily’s racecourse blunder and unsympathetic to Lily’s family crisis, threatens to hit her with a towel of oranges after punching her in the stomach. However, he changes his mind and decides to give her a cigar burn on her hand instead. After a chilling conversation with Bobo, where he hands her $10,000, the leftover money from her failed assignment, Lily departs to pay Roy yet another visit.

Meanwhile, on the train to La Jolla, Myra is delighted when she realizes that Roy too is a grifter like herself. After watching him extort drinks and petty cash from young unsuspecting sailors, Myra reveals to Roy that she too is a con artist. She then confides her past escapades to Roy. On one occasion, she worked with Cole (J. T. Walsh), an expert conman and his gang, on an elaborate setup that included striking a fake illegal deal and implementing a fake FBI raid. As part of this con, Myra faked her own death and as a result, extorted a suitcase full of cash from a rich patsy.

Roy and Myra return to LA. Lily has another awkward meeting with Roy. It is also revealed that Roy has saved up money that he has made from his con and is concealing it inside a painting in the apartment.

Later, a jealous Myra spies on Lily at a racetrack and uses her old contacts to get details on Lily. She learns that Lily is embezzling money from her boss. Her attempt to squeal on Lily to Bobo falls apart when Bobo’s henchmen visit her hotel to realize that she has already left. Myra then proposes to Roy that the two of them should participate in a setup, similar to the ones she had done with Cole, and extort money from another patsy.

The situation gets out of hand when Roy refuses to go along with this game, as he is content with his modest and less dangerous lifestyle. A furious Myra makes a disgusting remark, infuriating Roy to strike her. Roy then breaks off the relationship.

Myra, now the scorned woman, is on a venomous plot, seeking retribution from Lily, whom she blames for her breakup with Roy. A series of events unfold that involve violence and murder, all culminating in a shocking, unexpected, and deadly ending. Poor Roy is just collateral damage, caught in a conflict between two ruthless women.

A stellar twisted but intelligent screenplay, outstanding performance from Cusack, Benning, and Houston make ‘The Grifters’ one of the best neo-noir movies and a must-watch. The movie was nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Actress for Houston, Best Supporting Actress for Benning, Best Director for Frears, and Best Screenplay for Donald E. Westlake. Do not miss this gem.