Question: Since Gondorff and Hooker left the fake betting parlor less than 5 minutes after Doyle and Snyder left, wouldn't they have been found out if Doyle and Snyder hung around for 5 minutes? Especially since there probably wasn't a police siren to be heard. Also, there would be no news on the parlor shooting, which would raise Doyle Lonnegan's eyebrows. Finally, Snyder knew the bar where the cons hung out and where the money was going to be split.
Question: When Riley and Cole miss the hit on Hooker, and it's given to Salino, Cole's still looking. Wouldn't he see Hooker with Shaw?
Answer: If he did, it likely wouldn't matter. Neither he nor Salino know about the main plot, they're just on an assignment to kill the grifter who worked with Luther. Even if they saw Hooker with Gondorff, they'd have no reason to suspect anything or to report it to Lonnegan or anyone else; they're only interested in the hit.
Thanks – makes sense.
Character mistake: At Duke Boudreau's bar, the potential recruits for the sting are told, "Gondorff is setting up a con on the North side". Later in the film, Agent Polk tells Lt. Snyder, "Gondorff is running a con on the South side". The actual address for the betting hall is not given, but it is just down the alley from Klein's, which does have a South side address.
Suggested correction: It's possible recruits were given the wrong information on purpose until they'd been cleared for participation. Misinformation is a good way to confuse and delay any unwanted attention.
This does not correct the posting. "Polk" tells Snyder that Gondorff is running a con on the NORTH side, which is incorrect. He has absolutely no reason to try to mislead Snyder.
Plot hole: Doyle attends Gondorff's betting shop three times, and he listens to the announcer calling three races from three different race tracks - Narragansett in Rhode Island, Belmont in New York, and Riverside Park in Missouri. He cannot possibly miss the fact that the same announcer calls all three races! J.J. Singleton, the race caller, has an instantly recognisable voice, and Doyle wouldn't be fooled for a second. Each race track would have had its own announcer.
Suggested correction: There are a lot of things Doyle is processing when he's in the shop. There's a lot happening, and he has a lot on his mind, and increasing pressure and stress each time. It's quite possible that he wouldn't notice the accent of the announcer, something he has no reason to doubt.
Rubbish. During his first two visits, he sits quietly listening to the race announcements. On his second visit, he would recognize J.J. Singleton's distinctive voice and would realize something was very wrong.
Question: If Salino was a hit woman for Lonnegan, why did he put a hit on Hooker, who he was working with to play the track? Also, who were, and why did the hit men arrive at Hooker's apartment to kill him?
Answer: He wanted to kill the man who swindled him out of his money. He didn't know it was Hooker. Same thing with the two hit men, they didn't know the hit woman was working the same hit.
Isn't one of the hit men who got Luther (and who would also know what Hooker looked like) the big tall security dude (on the train) for Lonnigan? I thought he was one of the black and white photos. Seems to me Lonnigan would eventually know that Hooker and Kelly were the same guy?
Corrected entry: A vital plot line, obviously, is that Doyle wants to kill the con men who fleeced his runner of the numbers money. He has Luther killed and turns his best men (and women) onto Johnny Hooker, almost killing him, too. What about the third conman, Kid Erie? He is an essential part of the con, as much a part of it as Luther and Hooker. During the setup - just before they fleece him - the numbers runner watches Kid Erie running away. He looks at him, Hooker and Luther in turn. Even if he couldn't identify him he would still be able to inform Doyle that there were three rather than two con men involved. Even so, Kid Erie comes and goes as he pleases. Doyle doesn't have anyone looking for him; he doesn't even mention him in conversation, and in fact consistently refers to two - not three - con men. He makes it clear that he would have to kill his best friend if he even found out about the con, yet he lets one of the central participants go scot free. It doesn't make any sense at all.
Correction: This isn't a plot hole or even a mistake. The only information Doyle, or anyone in his organisation, has about the con men comes from the runner himself; who it is said was found in a bar drowning his sorrows later that day. He explained what happened to some of Doyle's men and was killed shortly afterwards. It could simply be that he was too drunk to remember the third man involved, or to realise that the third man was part of the con. This is at best a character being given inaccurate information. As the submitter says, Doyle consistently refers to two con men, not three. So as far as he knows he's looking for 2 con men. The only 'mistake' here is Kid Erie advising Hooker to go on the run, without seemingly considering that he's just as at much at risk.
Watch the scene again. The numbers runner, Mottola, has a much greater interaction with Kid Erie than he does with Luther or Hooker. He sees him as he flees the scene - Erie almost runs into him and threatens him with a knife to keep him away, and Mottola watches him as he disappears down the alleyway. He would remember him, drunk or not.
He was so drunk that he could identify Hooker and Luther and give Doyle and his men descriptions, names, addresses, the lot, but he couldn't remember that there was a third conman who was a vital part of the scheme that swindled him and ultimately cost him his life? What utter nonsense. The posting is absolutely correct.
Corrected entry: In the scene where Doyle Lonnegan is set up to be too late to make his first bet, J.J. Singleton, who is calling the race over the loudspeaker, announces the eventual winner's odds at 3-1. After the race, Singleton says the horse paid $6 to win. A horse at 3-1 odds pays $8 to win.
Correction: In fact he says the horse paid $6.00 FOR the win, not TO win and that is perfectly accurate. Haven't you ever played the ponies? A 3 to 1 winner pays $6.00 for the win on a $2.00 bet and you get your $2.00 back, so in all it pays $8.00. The race caller was right on the money.
Actually, it should have been $8. No horse player ever said a 3-1 shot pays $6.
Corrected entry: In the final scene, Kid Twist arrives at the betting parlor, whispering to Lonnegan, "Sorry, I couldn't wait." This furthers the plot as Twist can then inform Lonnegan that the wrong horse is going to win. But it would also blow the entire con because Lonnegan would expect Twist to have been downtown at his Western Union office just four minutes earlier when they talked on the phone.
Answer: 1) Why would Lonnegan and Snyder "hang around"? Snyder was told to get Lonnegan away fast, and Lonnegan believes two people were just killed... Lonnegan is loath to abandon his money, but he realises he needs to leave. He is telling Snyder about the money, so he may be hoping Snyder can get it back for him once it's safe to do so. 2) There wouldn't be any sirens yet, the shooting happened seconds before they left. Someone would have to hear the shots and call the police for sirens to be heard. Even so, Lonnegan (and Snyder) have no reason to expect sirens, as this is apparently an FBI raid and so law enforcement is already on the scene. 3) News of raids gone wrong (i.e. one where there are unintended deaths) would likely never make it to the news. This was the 1930s, much easier to bury a story, especially one like this that happens in an illegal betting parlour with no press attention. 4) What of it? If he shows up they hide everything and just act like they're having a drink.
4) What of it? If he shows up they hide everything and just act like they're having a drink. - How on earth could two dead men "just act like they're having a drink"?
Didn't realise you were talking about Gondorff and Hooker. They didn't go to the bar. Gondorff was planning to leave town immediately and Hooker voluntarily gave up his share.