The Sting is a 1973 American caper film. Set in 1936, it involves a complicated plot by two professional grifters to con a mob boss. The film was directed by George Roy Hill, who had directed Newman and Redford in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969). The screenplay by David S. Ward was inspired by real-life cons perpetrated by brothers Fred and Charley Gondorff and documented by David Maurer in his 1940 book The Big Con: The Story of the Confidence Man. Best Picture at the 46th Academy Awards, April 2, 1974 — hosted by John Huston, Burt Reynolds, David Niven, and Diana Ross at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Wiki link Wiki link Poster: TMDB (this product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB).