title: Nick the Sting
text: # Nick the Sting
  
  Nick the Sting (Italian: Gli amici di Nick Hezard) is a 1976 Italian film directed by Fernando Di Leo. It stars actor Gabriele Ferzetti.
  
  ## Cast
  
  * Luc Merenda as Nick Hezard
  * Lee J. Cobb as Robert Clark
  * Gabriele Ferzetti as Maurice
  * Luciana Paluzzi as Anna
  * Dagmar Lassander as Chantal
  * Isabella Biagini as Edy
  * Mario Pisu as Phil
  * Riccardo Salvino as Mark
  * William Berger as Roizman
  * Valentina Cortese as Nick's mother
  * Giò Stajano as Jeweller Steffen (credited as Gio Staiano)
  
  ## Production
  
  Nick the Sting was described by Italian film historian and critic Roberto Curti as a "work for hire" for director Fernando Di Leo. The film went into production after finishing Kidnap Syndicate with a screenplay already written by Alberto Silvestri based around the film The Sting. Di Leo commented that film had "quite a good script [...] but it had a couple huge problems: it would cost too much to film as it was written, and badly needed a charismatic lead."
  
  Nick the Sting was shot at Elios Studio in Rome and on location in Geneve. Leo recalled that the film did not have a good production, finding Merenda not up to the task as a lead and the script did not come up as well as it had on paper.
  
  ## Release
  
  Nick the Sting was distributed theatrically in Italy by Interfilm on 29 April 1976. The film grossed a total of 427,272,200 Italian lire domestically. It was released on DVD in Italy by Raro Video.
  
  