--- title: "The Grifters: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-grifters/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-grifters" critics_score: 77 critics_reviews: 10 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Grifters (1990): what the critics said Critics' score 77 from 10 reviews: 9 positive, 0 mixed, 1 negative. ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 25 January 1991. The critic praises the film's authentic film noir spirit and the powerful performances, especially Anjelica Huston's as the mother and Annette Bening's as the dangerous lover. He highlights how the story of con artists seducing one another builds to a shocking, inevitable conclusion that exposes the characters' deep-seated patterns of trust and betrayal. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-grifters-1991) ## Slant Magazine — Derek Smith Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 9 January 2025. The review calls the film one of the queasiest, most nihilistic crime thrillers, emphasizing its palpable desperation, moral rot, and psychosexual despair among the central grifters. It notes the fatalism and soul-sucking nature of life on the grift while praising the new 4K restoration. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/the-grifters-4k-uhd-blu-ray-review-stephen-frears/) ## The New York Times — Janet Maslin Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 5 December 1990. The critic calls the film a taut, tough and funny hard-boiled melodrama that becomes sorrowful at the end, crediting Stephen Frears with a smashing variation on classic Hollywood crime stories. She singles out the gripping dynamics among the unholy trinity of mother, son and lover as they con one another. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1990/12/05/movies/review-film-an-unholy-trinity-who-re-up-to-no-good.html) ## Empire — Ian Nathan Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The film is a gripping neo-noir thriller thanks to its perfectly cast leads. Superb performances by Anjelica Huston, John Cusack and Annette Bening stand out alongside Frears' taut direction of the Jim Thompson adaptation. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/grifters-review/) ## Los Angeles Times — Sheila Benson Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 5 December 1990. The critic finds the film diamond-hard and mesmerizing in its take on Jim Thompson's novel of mother love and the rackets, praising the updated yet pure noir visuals and performances. She singles out Anjelica Huston's ferociously seductive central performance as the motor of the piece and Frears' masterful control of tension. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-12-05-ca-5434-story.html) ## The AV Club — Scott MacDonald Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 13 September 2013. The critic praises the film's craftsmanship, stylized performances by Huston, Bening, and others, and especially its bold, unapologetic handling of Oedipal themes between mother and son. The ending is singled out as a legitimate shocker that underscores the characters' ruthlessness. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/what-s-crime-without-passion-even-if-it-involves-a-son-1798240581) ## The New Yorker — Pauline Kael Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 12 November 1990. The critic praises the film's hardboiled pitilessness drawn from the source novel and Anjelica Huston's powerful, monstrous performance as Lilly, noting how it gives weight to the ruthless amorality and enriches the noir with sexual electricity and tension. They single out Huston's willingness to embody the character fully for praise while observing the direction and script keep things snappy despite minor issues like the score. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1990/11/19/mother-husband-brother) ## Time Out — SGr Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2012. The critic highlights the ruthless survival instincts of the con artists, especially Anjelica Huston's tragic mother character Lily, and praises Donald Westlake's screenplay and Stephen Frears' gripping direction, while noting weaknesses in the younger leads. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-grifters) ## Variety — Variety Staff Rating **. 31 December 1989. The review describes the adaptation of Jim Thompson's novel about smalltime hustlers as a curiously uneven movie, noting the intriguing subculture but faulting the execution. It singles out John Cusack's underplayed, colorless performance as Roy for complaint while acknowledging the cast and premise. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1989/film/reviews/the-grifters-1200428211/) ## Collider — Rebecca Schriesheim Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 18 September 2024. The critic calls The Grifters one of the best and meanest neo-noirs of the 1990s, praising its dark themes of greed, betrayal, and murder. They highlight the complex, unforgettable performances by the lead trio and the film's riveting, heartbreaking payoff. [Read the review](https://collider.com/grifters-movie-streaming/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-grifters.md