The best movie ever made from a book by Jim Thompson, America’s preeminent writer of noir fiction. Roy Dillon (John Cusack) is a young grifter blithely scamming his way through sunny Southern California, until he gets trapped in the battle of wills and wiles waged by the women in his life: mother Lilly (a never-better Anjelica Huston) and girlfriend Myra (Annette Bening channeling Gloria Grahame). Westlake’s script deals flashbacks like a game of three-card monte, while Frears balances Thompson’s humor and horror as the three-way con builds to its shattering conclusion. Featuring memorable performances from Pat Hingle and J.T. Walsh. It’s been 35 years … long enough to call this an all-time classic!