The Sting (1973)

John Heffernan: Eddie Niles

Photos 

Quotes 

• Henry Gondorff : What's your problem?

  Doyle Lonnegan : I'm putting half a million dollars on Lucky Dan to win, third race at Riverside Park.

  Henry Gondorff : Can't lay that off in time. A bet like that could break us.

  [Hooker stares at him incredulously] 

  Doyle Lonnegan : Not only are you a cheat, you're a gutless cheat as well.

  Henry Gondorff : What are the odds?

  Eddie Niles : Four to one.

  Henry Gondorff : Take all of it!

• Eddie Niles : Lonnegan gets most of his income from the numbers, even though he's been putting more and more money into his savings-and-loan business.

  Henry Gondorff : You think he's moving out of the racket?

  Eddie Niles : No, he owns most of the stock that's traded. But my guess is he's just trying to build himself a respectable image. He came out of Five Points, but he's been telling everybody he was born in Forest Hills. He knows the market, though. I don't think we can take him on a stocks deal.

  Henry Gondorff : Twist, what about the numbers?

  Kid Twist : Tipsters say it's run out of a packinghouse on 14th by a guy named Combs. Lonnegan comes out every three weeks or so to check on it, but he stays away from the day-to-day stuff in case it's raided. These are two of Combs' favorite torpedoes, Riley and Cole. You ever seen 'em?

  Johnny Hooker : [taking a pair of photographs]  No.

  Kid Twist : They're the ones who hit Luther. They also got the numbers runner you conned, a guy named Mottola. Found him in a quarry with a knife in his eye. Lonnegan's had seven or eight people rubbed on his way up. His pattern has been to get close to a racket boss, learn the operation, then move in on it. He's done it to Gorman, O'Donnell, Buchalman, took the numbers from Sharkey. All four of these guys are dead. He's vindictive as hell, Henry. Kills for pride. Doesn't add up he'd let Hooker get away from him.

  Henry Gondorff : You see anything, kid, you let us know. If they put you on the spot, we got to fold the con. You got that?

  Johnny Hooker : [still looking at the pictures of Lonnegan's hitters]  Yeah. You sure it's gotta be one of these two guys?

  Kid Twist : No. They're just the only ones we know of.

• Eddie Niles : With no fix, we're gonna need a con with a sure-fire blow-off.

  J.J. Singleton : I think we ought to play this guy on the payoff. It's the tightest game we've got and it's not all over the papers yet.

  Kid Twist : Lonnegan is a fast egg, J.J. He's not going to sit still for a standard play.

  Eddie Niles : So what does that leave us? We can't con the payoff to a banker.

  Henry Gondorff : We'll use the wire. Haven't known a poker player yet who didn't wanna bet the ponies.

  Eddie Niles : The wire's been out of date for ten years.

  Henry Gondorff : That's why he won't know it.

  J.J. Singleton : I'm not sure I know it.

  Henry Gondorff : It'll take two of us working the inside. Any objections to Hooker as second man?

  [getting no objections] 

  Henry Gondorff : All right, we'll give Lonnegan the hook on the train and play him here. J.J., you think I can get in that poker game?

  J.J. Singleton : All you gotta do is show up with a lot of money and look like a sucker.

  Henry Gondorff : I also gotta win.

  [having been told Snyder was snooping around] 

  Henry Gondorff : Oh, by the way, any of you guys been passing bad money lately?

  [to Billie] 

  Henry Gondorff : If he comes in again, stall him so I can get a look at him.

• Benny Garfield : Been a while since I stocked the wire store. Not many mobs playing that anymore.

  Eddie Niles : All we'll need is the bookie setup for now.

  Benny Garfield : All right. I'll rent you everything I've got in the warehouse for two grand. That'll give you phones, cages, blackboards, and ticker gear. If you want a counter and bar, that's another grand.

  Kid Twist : That's pretty steep, Benny.

  Benny Garfield : Gondorff's still a hot item. Where would I be if he gets hit?

  Kid Twist : Benny, you just give us what you can. We'll send a truck down.

• Benny Garfield : Hey, Eddie, we brought you a tap into Moe Annenberg's wire. You'll get race results, odds, scratches, pole positions, everything. And just as fast as Western Union gets them.

  Eddie Niles : Does J.J. know how to use that thing?

  Benny Garfield : All he's got to do is read.