The Sting II

The Sting II
The Sting II
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Jeremy Paul Kagan
Written by	David S. Ward
Produced by	Jennings Lang
Starring	Jackie Gleason; Mac Davis; Teri Garr; Karl Malden; Oliver Reed; Ron Rifkin; John Hancock;
Cinematography	Bill Butler
Edited by	David Garfield
Music by	Lalo Schifrin
Production; company	Universal Studios
Distributed by	Universal Studios
Release dates	February 18, 1983 (Los Angeles & New York City);
Running time	102 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$6.3 million

The Sting II is a 1983 American comedy film and a sequel to The Sting, again written by David S. Ward. It was directed by Jeremy Paul Kagan and stars Jackie Gleason, Mac Davis, Teri Garr, Karl Malden and Oliver Reed.

Plot

In 1940, the Great Depression is over and World War II has just begun. Fargo Gondorff is released from prison and reassembles his cronies for another con, out to avenge the murder of his lifelong pal and fellow con artist Kid Colors. Gondorff's young protege Jake Hooker attempts to pull a scam on wealthy "Countess Veronique," who instead pulls one on him. She turns out to be a grifter herself named Veronica.

Coming up with a boxing con, Gondorff's goal is to sting both Lonnegan, the notorious banker and gangster who wants revenge from a previous con, and Gus Macalinski, a wealthy local racketeer. Gondorff believe one or both of them is behind Kid Colors' death.

Hooker pretends to be a boxer who is about to throw a big fight. Macalinski is not only hoodwinked into losing hundreds of thousands of dollars, but he is also talked into changing his original wager by Lonnegan. While one gangster takes care of the other, Gondorff and Hooker head for the train station with a bag full of money, tickets out of town, and a final twist from Veronica.

Cast

Jackie Gleason as Fargo Gondorff
Mac Davis as Jake Hooker
Teri Garr as Veronica
Karl Malden as Gus Macalinski
Oliver Reed as Doyle Lonnegan
Ron Rifkin as Eddie
Jose Perez as Carlos
Val Avery as O'Malley
Michael Alldredge as "Big Ohio"
John Hancock as "Doc"
Larry Hankin as "Handicap"
Bert Remsen as "Kid Colors"
Tim Rossovich as "Typhoon" Taylor
Harry James as Band Leader
Woodrow Parfrey as Georgie
Max Wright as Floor Manager
Benny Baker as Pyle
Frances Bergen as Lady Dorsett
Larry Bishop as Gellecher, Lonnegan's Second Guard
Danny Dayton as Ring Announcer
Tony Giorgio as Rossovich, Macalinski's Man
Carl Gottlieb as Maitre d'
Bob Minor as Savitt
Francis X. McCarthy as Lonnegan's Thug #1

Production

Continuity

This film's continuity with respect to the first movie is disputed:

At the time of the film's release, Director Jeremy Paul Kagan claimed, "The Sting II is inspired by and is an expansion of the first Sting, rather than a continuation. The principal characters of Fargo Gondorff and Jake Hooker are based on two very famous real-life con men, and are totally different from the two characters in the original." Furthermore, the first names of the two lead characters have changed: Henry Gondorff has become Fargo Gondorff, and Johnny Hooker has become Jake Hooker.

However, characters in this film make specific references to events in the first film (the entire plot is driven by Lonnegan's desire to avenge his losses to Gondorff and Hooker in the first film), which would indicate this film was meant to be a direct sequel.

Music

"Heliotrope Bouquet," by Scott Joplin and Louis Chauvin
"The Chrysanthemum," "A Breeze from Alabama," "Cleopha," "The Entertainer," "Bethena," by Scott Joplin

Reception

Critical reviews

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 10% of 10 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.3/10.

Awards

The film was nominated for an Academy Award for the Best Musical Score composed by Lalo Schifrin.

Home media

The Sting II was released on DVD in 2004 by Universal. Blu-ray release by Kino Lorber in 2021.

References

1 2 3 The Sting II at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
↑ The Sting II at Box Office Mojo
↑ Gaul Lou. (1983, February 18). "Sequel lacks 'Sting' of the original", Beaver County Times^{[dead link]}
↑ "The Sting II". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 18, 2026.

External links

The Sting II at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
The Sting II at IMDb
The Sting II at the TCM Movie Database (archived)
The Sting II at Rotten Tomatoes

[afi-1] 1 2 3 The Sting II at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films

[2] The Sting II at Box Office Mojo

[3] Gaul Lou. (1983, February 18). "Sequel lacks 'Sting' of the original", Beaver County Times^{[dead link]}

[4] "The Sting II". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 18, 2026.