The Sting

Question: What horse actually won the race that Lonigan bets on Lucky Dan to win?

Speedway
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Chosen answer: I watched this the other night and specifically listened for what horse won the race that Lucky Dan was running in. It is never revealed who the winner is, because while the fake announcer in the back room is calling the race, the F.B.I. agents raid the building. During the ensuing chaos, shouting, and gunfire, it is impossible to hear the broadcast over the noise.

raywest Premium member
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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?

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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.

Question: Lonnegan killed the Currier and Luther, and was trying to kill Hooker. How come nobody was looking for Joe Erie? even Snyder knew he was involved.

Bob j

Chosen answer: Snyder only knew that Erie was friends with Hooker, and he wasn't on Lonnegan's payroll, just a run-of-the-mill corrupt policeman, so he didn't know Erie was involved. The Courier barely saw Erie and so may not have been able to identify him as well as he did Hooker and Luther, so Erie was unknown to Lonnegan.

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Mistakes

Plot hole: 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.

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Suggested 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.

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Quotes

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

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Trivia

Trivia: Producer Julia Phillips (died 2002) became the first female producer to win an Oscar for "Best Picture" for this film. The Oscar for "Best Picture" goes to the producers of the winning film since 1952. She shares the Oscar with fellow producers Tony Bill, and her then-husband Michael Phillips.

megamii
1
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