Sunday, July 20, 2014

The Cinncinnati Kid 1965


The Cincinnati Kid


      The setting is New Orleans in the 1930’s.  The Cincinnati Kid is a young poker player who goes from one big game to the next.  He also stops along the way to meet attractive women.  In New Orleans, he has a chance to play against the legendary champion cardsharp Lancey Howard known as The Man in a very high-stakes poker game.  The Shooter is another gambling pro, he arranges the game and he’s the main dealer.  They have Lady Fingers to fill in if The Shooter gets tired.  Slade is an old enemy of The Man and he tries to fix the game.
       I had forgotten that these games could go on all night and into the next day.  They only stop for a break if there is a request to do so.  I also found the roles of Ann-Margret and Tuesday Weld interesting.  Nothing related about them personally but only their behavior concerning the men is in their scenes.  There are a lot of review comparisons with The Hustler with Paul Newman shooting pool (1961) and the Thomas Crown Affair with Pierce Brosnan (1999).  3* (This movie is OK)

102 min, Drama directed by Norman Jewison with Steve McQueen, Ann-Margret, Edward G. Robinson, Karl Malden, Tuesday Weld, Joan Blondell, Rip Torn, Jack Weston, Cab Calloway, Jeff Corey, Theodore Marcuse.

Note:  Imdb 7.3 out of 10, 85% critic 79% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, TCM average 4.2 out of 5 user review, Amazon 7.3 out of 10 with 104 reviews.







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