Paul Newman and Robert Redford reunite as two con artists staging an elaborate long con against a ruthless mob boss to avenge a murdered friend, set against a meticulously recreated 1930s Chicago. George Roy Hill directs with a playful, ragtime-scored elegance that turns every twist of the swindle into pure cinematic pleasure. Sweeping the 1974 Academy Awards including Best Picture, it remains the gold standard of the heist-caper genre.