Best Actor 1973: Robert Redford in The Sting

Robert Redford received his only acting nomination for portraying Johnny Hooker in The Sting.

The Sting is about con men doing a con in the thirties against an Irish mobster.

Robert Redford's only Oscar nominated performance is one of those oddities, since one usually says Robert Redford was only nominated once, and for this film. It is most certainly a lightweight role, and not really the traditional type of role that one really is usually Oscar nominated for. Just due to the fact there is not bearing of soul to be found here, but rather just a leading man going through a plot.

That does not exactly mean his performance is bad though, since if someone is a great leading man, they deserve all the praise they can get. I wouldn't quite put Redford in that regard. He is good here though I have to admit after all this time. It is not that he is not fine as Johnny Hooker, he is charming enough, and easy enough to follow through the plot. He is overshadowed by likes of Robert Shaw as the villain Lonnegan, and Paul Newman as the more experienced conman Henry Gondorff give far more interesting and effective performances with less overall screen time. Having said though, apart for occasionally slightly wooden deliveries, really just the ones where he's dismissive to Newman when his heart isn't in it. Redford is rock solid here in the part, and I really need to say he does deliver in general.

Redford is believable in the part as the young con man learning the ropes, and trying to pull off the big con, he realistic enough in his reactions to the various situations he finds himself in at the different phases of the con. He provides what is needed for this film, a straight forward anchor. He finds the right sense of enthusiasm to the con and recklessness within this. In the scenes of avoiding one contract killer or another, Redford delivers the right sense of excitement both in portraying the genuine fear, but also sort of joy of the thrill of escape. Redford brings enough really emotional context as well though. This in his reactions towards the death of his mentor, Redford brings the right real sense of loss to it. It isn't anything too impactful but it nicely sets the stakes. Redford does carry the film when Newman and Shaw aren't around. He isn't as compelling as them, but he doesn't really need to be. He makes for a properly compelling general lead, and gives good performance.