After all the talk about The Grifters, I rented it, but didn't like it nearly that well. I agree with Cellar's specific comments (9842), though I found the "resolution" of Huston's conflict with Cusack unsatisfying. To me it was one of those movies that has just the right look and feel, compelling individual scenes, but the overall storyline just doesn't work because it seems to manipulate the characters too much and winds up being a hodgepodge of disjointed elements. It was thus another example IMO that, despite the stereotype, performances are often better than the writing.
Also, I was probably misled by the short review which characterized it as a black comedy and somewhat meaner version of The Sting. As a result, I kept expecting a twist of some sort, even though the omnisicent POV pretty much eliminated any chance of that. I spent about the first two thirds of the film thinking someone was going to get scammed (most likely Bobo).
