Spoilers · the ending
The Sting: the ending, explained
George Roy Hill · 1973
This page gives the ending away. Not seen the film yet? Its spoiler-free guide is here.
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Spoilers · the ending
George Roy Hill · 1973
This page gives the ending away. Not seen the film yet? Its spoiler-free guide is here.
What happens
The raid looks like a disaster: FBI agents burst in and Hooker and Gondorff are shot. It is all staged. The agents are part of the crew, and Lonnegan and Snyder flee in panic while the two men rise and walk off with the money.
The last image
Hooker and Gondorff, very much alive, leave the emptied parlour together, having taken everything from Lonnegan.
What it says
The ending turns the whole film into one performance, and it pays off your attention. Lonnegan is ruined by cleverness, not violence, which fits a story that treats craft, teamwork and trust as more satisfying than revenge by force.