The Cincinnati Kid
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Movie Reviews of The Cincinnati Kid
Movie Review: Three Aces and Two Queens, What a Hand to Play!
Summary: 5 Stars
Steve McQueen, Edward G. Robinson, Karl Malden, Ann-Margret and Tuesday Weld constitute a winning hand without doubt!
The story is about Cincinnati Kid who is a pro poker player and wants to be Big Number One, but to achieve this goal he must defeat Lancey Howard an old and still actual legend of the five cards game.
The film chronicles his machinations to tie an all out card game with The Man at the same time shows his life style and `30s New Orleans' environment.
The central piece of the whole movie is playacting, a real festival that will be enjoyed by film-lovers.
Steve McQueen as The Kid gives one of his best characterizations, this is not little thing, considering his previous performances in "The Magnificent Seven" (1960) and "The Great Escape" (1963); the future ones in the remarkable "The Thomas Crown Affair" (1968) and "Bullit (1968); "The Towering Inferno" (1974) and "Tom Horn" (1980).
He displays his consummate craft to show so much with so tiny gestures!
But attention, Steve is not alone; he shares the screen with Edward G. Robinson a legend in this drama and in real life, with more than a hundred appearances on the silver screen. To mention only a sample: "Little Caesar" (1931) "The Little Giant" (1933), "The Last Gangster" (1937) and "Destroyer" (1943).
The third ace appearing here is multi-awarded Karl Malden as Shooter ex-gambler and presently Kid's adviser and card dealer of seasoned impartiality.
Now the ladies: twice Oscar nominated Ann-Margret as Shooter's wife, provocative, selfish & ruthless; also Oscar nominated beautiful and young Tuesday Weld as The Kid's girl friend and last but not least the third Oscar nominated Joan Blondell as Lady Fingers.
Director Norman Jewison will be five times Oscar nominated after directing this movie. Nevertheless, arguably, this is one of his best films.
Special mention must be done for Argentinean Lalo Schifrin's musical score.
It is a great movie for all film lovers and especially for McQueen fans. Do not miss it!
Reviewed by Max Yofre.
Movie Review: An all-around well-done movie!
Summary: 5 Stars
This review is for the Warner Brothers DVD released in 2005.
The setting is during the Depression in New Orleans, mostly in the French Quarter. Eric Stoner also known as "The Cincinnati Kid" (Steve McQueen) is a very formidable stud poker player. He has a girlfriend named Christian (Tuesday Weld) and a longtime buddy named Shooter (Karl Malden). Shooter has a very attractive girlfriend named Melba Nile (Ann-Margaret). The movie is setup for a big showdown with poker legend Lancy Howard (Edward G. Robinson), who comes to New Orleans to play the "The Kid". Stoner's relationships with Christian, Shooter and Melba add a dynamic to the film that makes it more than just a "pure" poker movie.
There's a lot to like about this film. The color cinematography is superb and the props and setting for the French Quarter are a feast for the eyes (one major gaff however was a shot of a diesel train engine). In a fantastic opening scene, we see a Dixieland band playing a funeral march and then quickly changing the music to an upbeat jazz song with plenty of street dancing. The movie itself was masterfully crafted and the characters were unique and original. There are quite a few strong performances including great acting by Edward G. Robinson, Karl Malden and Rip Torn. I think the thing the made this movie work is that it was not about winning or losing for the sake of money. The central issues were winning for prestige and notoriety and making someone lose to destroy their ego. The ending is gutsy and I'll just leave it at that. My only critical comment of the film is that the onscreen relationship between McQueen and Weld lacked chemistry. But overall it's an extremely entertaining movie.
As for the DVD, it's a beautiful and flawless widescreen color presentation. The audio is excellent. There are a few worthwhile bonuses including commentary by director Norman Jewison and scene-specific analysis by poker commentators Phil Gordon and Dave Foley.
Movie: A-
DVD Quality: A
Movie Review: Amazing poker film, excellent film all around
Summary: 5 Stars
"The Kid" (Steve McQueen) is the up-and-coming new player in the stud poker world. He travels from game to game, usually with the help of his buddy Shooter (Karl Malden), only to clean out his competition in good form. When Lancey "The Man" Howard comes to town, the Kid and Shooter arrange a high-stakes poker game with some of the best players around to find out who the real king of stud poker is.
There have been a number of solid poker movies throughout the years, with the most recent being the Matt Damon vehicle "Rounders," a film which basically spurred the "poker boom" back in the early 2000s (along with donkey Chris Moneymaker's World Series of Poker win in 2003). One poker flick that's never forgotten in the wide array of films in the subgenre is 'The Cincinnati Kid.' The film features one of Steve McQueen's most legendary performances (in a long list of great roles) and puts him alongside such other great actors like Karl Malden, Rip Torn, and oh-so-sexy Ann-Margret.
One issue that has come along with this film is that it does feature a LOT of poker, but what really works about the poker scenes is that it's more about the characters than the actual game. The dialogue, the staredowns, and everything else at the table works so well that it never, ever gets boring. Away from the table, there are some terrifically formed bonds between the friendship of Shooter & the Kid, along with the Kid's relations with girlfriend Christian (Tuesday Weld) and Melba (Ann-Margret). Including this additional drama helps to round out the film into something entertaining and interesting for all viewers, whether they be poker fans or not.
Overall, while I do, as a poker player and cinema enthusiast, prefer 'Rounders' slightly, 'The Cincinnati Kid' is one of the best films you can find on the subject. It's just a shame that McQueen wasn't around long enough to have a showdown between The Kid and Mike McDermott.
Final Verdict: 9/10.
-AP3-
Movie Review: Making the Wrong Move at the Right Time.
Summary: 5 Stars
With some movies you only remember a couple of the characters and you would expect this to be one of those cases with Robinson versus McQueen taking up all the spotlight, but The Cincinnati Kid actually has one of the most complete casts I've ever seen. Seemingly minor characters, like Jack Watson's and Rip Torn's, are given thorough development while more important ones like Karl Malden's dealer, Ann Margret, and Tuesday Weld end up being nearly as interesting as those of the two cardsharps. This makes the movie great rather than just very good.
McQueen's Kid is the classic gambler; decisive at the table and fuzzy about everything else. In the gray area is where our two actresses, and love interests, meet him. Margret and Weld definitely enhance the plot and aren't merely eye candy, but, speaking of eye candy, those two simultaneously on the screen will raise your blood pressure notably. Pure beauty from every angle. Personally, I don't think there's ever been a more alluring woman than Ann-Marget. I'm sure McQueen was of the same opinion.
Some of the dialogue is great too. McQueen is disgusted by the Weld's recent behaviors like going to watch French movies and spending time at a Turkish Bath. When she asks if he knows where she's been, he says "to stag films." McQueen has some excellent lines, Margret's character says to him, "Those fights always make me feel dirty." The Kid answers, "That brings out the best in you, Melba." This one brought out the best in everybody.
Movie Review: The Challenge of Eric Stoner
Summary: 5 Stars
Stud Poker has always been as American as Hot Dogs and Coca-Cola. There is a comfortable, sophisticated and mystical feel to the stories which deal with gamblers. From the cool jazzy world of New Orleans, comes the story of Eric Stoner (Steve McQueen) who believes he has got what it takes to beat "The Man" (Edward G. Robinson, in one of his finest roles) known as Lancy Howard. The stakes are much higher than the poker pots they play to win. For Eric, there is the fame and prestige of being called 'The Man', the very best when it comes to playing cards. Even his girl-friend is second in the ambitious rise of the talented poker player. The 'Man' on the other hand has a formidable reputation to safeguard, whilst the 'Kid" has youth, vitality and considerable skill to possibly unseat the one individual who hold court over the green felt world of cards. In a marathon-like winner-take-all, the two fathom the other's resolve. With the memorable talents of Karl Malden as Shooter, Rip Torn as William Slade, Jack Weston as Pig, Cab Calloway as Yeller, Ann-Margret as Melba and Tuesday Weld as Christian, the film evolves into a classic from sheer star power. ****