The Cincinnati Kid (1965) User Reviews

People will sit down at the table with you, just so they can say they played with The Man

[hitchcockthelegend · 8/10 · 4 March 2008]

Blah blah blah is the feelings I get when I see comments about this being McQueen's answer to The Hustler, the Newman film is firmly ensconced in the hall of classics and rightly so, but this is a different animal that stands up on its own two feet as a great film regardless of comparisons of leading men or films they respectively delivered.

"It's a pleasure to meet someone who understands that to the true gambler, money is never an end in itself, it's simply a tool, as a language is to thought"

Steve McQueen is The Cincinnati Kid of the title, a young man who has an enviable reputation as the pretender to the throne of the king stud poker player. Standing in his way of claiming the crown is the holder of said crown, Lancey "The Man" Howard (a wonderfully sedate yet dominant Edward G. Robinson), both men are in New Orleans for the big showdown across the card table.

The film does suffer slightly from a meandering script, though, because you can't help feeling that there is so much more to these characters that needed fleshing out before the big tense showdown arises. However, the cast and director manage to stere the film home with a glorious final third. Suspense and drama start to boil to the surface, the tight knit editing bringing claustrophobic clarity to the enormity of the game.

McQueen is perfect here, cocky and cool in equal measure, yet still infusing the role with stoic heart and honest endearment. Tuesday Weld & Ann-Margret are playing second fiddle in the acting stakes to a delightful turn from Joan Blondell (a little under used though), but both Weld and Margret bring their respective girls' traits to life, with Margret positively smouldering with femme fatale sex appeal.

Karl Malden is solid and safe, whilst Rip Torn gives an acting lesson in dialogue driven menace. Yet in all honesty it's director Norman Jewison who has the trump card here. Once the game commences, even those who know nothing about a good game of poker are firmly watching every frame, such is the intense way that Jewison has brought the finale together.

No cop outs here, a film about egos, ambitions and personal satisfaction is gloriously laid out for a very enjoyable viewing experience. 8/10

McQueen and Robinson are aces

[NewEnglandPat · 8/10 · 6 March 2003]

This fine film chronicles a tense, dramatic marathon game of poker between a rising young star and a cagey old pro. Steve McQueen is the cool, detached hot shot and Edward G. Robinson displays nerves of steel, razor sharp instincts and a veteran's poise as the two players probe each other, searching for openings and seeking any advantage, however subtle. Both men are excellent and have good support from a solid cast of veteran actors. Ann-Margret is nice as a siren who just can't sit still when she and the Cincinnati Kid are in the same room. She slinks her way through her interpretation as the sluttish wife of a compromised card dealer who figures prominently in the grand game. The romantic angle between the Cincinnati Kid and his girlfriend doesn't ring true, although Tuesday Weld is pleasing as a vulnerable, love-struck girl. The cinematography shows a grim, gray, seedy side of New Orleans that brings realism to the story. The music has a jazzy score and nice vocals by Ray Charles.

Gritty dialogue and location shooting make a great classic

[sapblatt · 8/10 · 6 December 2003]

Norman Jewison's (`In the Heat of the Night,' `The Thomas Crown Affair,' `Fiddler on the Roof')1965 `The Cincinnati Kid' contains top notch location shooting in New Orleans and gritty dialogue (screenplay by Ring Lardner, Jr., `M*A*S*H*') that seems way ahead of its time.

The star power of this film is immense, with Steve McQueen portraying `the Kid' who is overly confident that he can beat `the Man,' Edward G. Robinson at his own game, stud poker. McQueen is ever confident while Robinson has seen it all and will not be surprised or scared by anything that he sees on the card table.

As in all great movies there is a very strong supporting cast in this film. Led by Karl Malden as `the Kid's' confidant, Shooter and a trio of strong supporting actresses, Ann-Margaret, Tuesday Weld and Joan Blondell. Ann-Margaret portrays Shooter's wife, Melba with great flair; she sees her husband as a loser and as a weakling. She openly commits adultery and talks down at him in front of anyone. Her characterization appears to be the role model for Fredo Corleone's wife Deanna, in `The Godfather, Part II.'

Beyond the obvious supporting roles is one of the best supporting/character players of all time, Jack Weston. He appears in many films in the 1960s and 1970s often as a person who gets in over his head with people and situations he cannot handle. In this movie he plays `Pig,' the first victim of Edward G. Robinson at the big card game. Pig thinks he is a pro but quickly and thoroughly gets gutted by `the Man.' Weston portrays a similar character in the original `Thomas Crown Affair.' Nobody sweats on camera like Jack. His type of adept characterizations can be seen in more recent settings, for example William H. Macy's `Jerry Lundergard' in 1996's `Fargo.'

Al in all this is one of the all time classics and by far is my favorite of any of the serious gambling movies such as `The Hustler,' `The Gambler' and `The Color of Money.'

'You just not ready for me, yet.'

[picicici · 29 May 2001]

A movie that shows the world of gamblers and card players should be elegant, claustrophobic, decadent, sexy an full of suspense. In 'The Cincinnati Kid' these are mixed in the most delicious way. Set in New Orleans, during the Depression the film tells the story of 'Cincinnati Kid', who wants to be the best card player in the world. He has the opportunity when the best ones get together in New Orleans for a marathon-lenght poker party. It's obvious that the final party would be between The Kid and Lancey Howard (very cool: Edward G. Robinson). It's a fine classic like almost all Steve McQueen-movies. McQueen is the king of cools and the supporting cast is good too. Tuesday Weld is pretty but Ann-Margret is the most seductive chick in town. The cock-fight scene and the final poker party is fantastically photographed and wonderfully edited (by Hal Ashby, who later directed the 'Coming Home'). And the music! Lalo Schifrin is a master and Ray Charles' song is simply fantastic and fits to the set and mood of the movie. The ending is unusual and unpredictable, but in my opinion it's very fair. Norman Jewison must have been liked his actors very much. The only flaw is the women hair-style. But it's an usual thing mostly in the films from the 60s (like 'Doctor Zhivago'). Although it's regarded as a classic, the wide audience don't recognize and respect it - 'You just not ready for me, yet.'

Fine card-shark McQueen vehicle.

[gazzo-2 · 7/10 · 2 May 2010]

Quite a fine movie. The cast is the best part-McQueen doing his uber-cool thing, Ann-Margret as the sultry decoration, Malden the jittery best friend, a youngish Rip Torn as the baddie, Edward G. as Minnesota Fats, more or less.

It's set in New Orleans in the thirties, it involves a killer marathon poker-showdown between the reigning champion of these events-Edward G. Robinson, and the local up and coming hotshot, Steve McQueen. Familiar faces such as Cab Calloway, Dub Taylor, Jeff Corey and Joan Blondell get into the action and help make this one even better me thinks just because.

Only real debits-slowish pacing in the middle, Malden too trusting w/ his gal A-M around McQueen, and it really doesn't have that authentic Sting/Thirties look to it. A-M and Weld could have walked in off the Viva Las Vegas sets, you know? The marathon poker match is the best part, certainly, keep an eye out for Jack Weston here-he certainly adds something to the preceedings.

I was surprised by Edward G winning by the way-it looked like a real set-up to have McQueen take him down at the end. No dice. I think Edward G also steals the show here, he's quite in his element and the camera just loves him.

Check it out, well worth your time. *** outta ****

One cool (and good) movie.

[dr_foreman · 9/10 · 11 November 2006]

Like the rest of the English-speaking world, I've recently succumbed to poker-mania, and started wasting some of my spare cash in amateur Texas Hold 'Em games.

Due to my newfound interest in card-playing, and my appreciation for old movies, I picked up "The Cincinatti Kid" on DVD. And I sure wasn't disappointed. The movie's awesome, on so many levels. As you might expect, the poker scenes are incredibly tense and, from what little I know of the game, they're pretty realistic. But other aspects of the film are great, too.

The New Orleans location shooting is gorgeous. You get to see a lot of the city, so I imagine the crew must've spent a fair amount of time there. There's plenty of cool jazz numbers and some nice French Quarter atmosphere. Director Norman Jewison manages to imbue New Orleans, and the movie as a whole, with an atmosphere that's both sleazy and glamorous at the same time.

The strong cast is another highlight. Steve McQueen is understated yet compelling, while Joan Blondell hams it up in a highly entertaining fashion (I love how she keeps teasing Lancey Howard about his age). Edward G. Robinson, one of my favorite character actors, radiates class and even a little menace as Howard. And - this is the best part - the movie also features the sweetly beautiful Tuesday Weld and the painfully sexy Ann-Margret. You just can't lose with a multi-generational cast of stars (and babes) like that.

Some commentators have complained that "The Cincinatti Kid" is slow, particularly during the scenes that don't feature poker. I can't say that I agree. The McQueen-Weld romance is sweet, and it doesn't really take up that much screen time. Sure, the movie may seem a little plodding if compared to contemporary films, but then again even "Aliens" is plodding compared to contemporary films.

The theme song's catchy, too. What more do you need? This movie's a mini-classic.

McQueen is the king

[moonspinner55 · 7/10 · 24 September 2001]

Thoroughly entertaining gambler's flick has Steve McQueen well-cast as stud-poker player involved in sweat-inducing winner-take-all poker tournament in New Orleans; Edward G. Robinson is the card-playing master who is Steve's main competition, Tuesday Weld is Steve's innocent squeeze, Ann-Margret is a sultry flooze. Great acting fuses a screenplay that seems cobbled together from different styles. It's hard-boiled at times, cartoony pulp at others. Ann-Margret is mostly used for visual flair (or as a punchline: while doing a jigsaw puzzle, she files down the pieces to make them fit at whim), though she's still quite a presence on the screen. Weld is very lovely, and the sequence where Steve shows up at her parents' house and does card-tricks is a little miracle of film-making: perfect writing, directing and acting all coming together wonderfully. Flaws and all, a slick genre piece and well-worth the viewing. *** from ****

A poker classic with suspense, realistic characters and a stunning cast

[floydianer · 10/10 · 8 November 2005]

Steve McQueen, who was deservedly called Mister Cool, plays the young upcoming poker player, already said to be among the best in the business. But there is one he hasn't played against, The Man, Lancey Howard, played by the great Edward G. Robinson. With the help of his friend Shooter they set up the big fight. While having a high suspense factor in the poker scenes, the non-poker ones might get a bit boring at times, especially in the love story between the Kid and his girlfriend Christian. But when it comes to playing this gets almost perfect. McQueen has the ideal poker face, and so has Robinson, and they both play their parts realistically and brilliantly. McQueen was said not to be a real actor, just a poser, they said he didn't act he only looked, but he proves it wrong here. His facial expressions are perfect, and he plays the young hotshot player convincingly.

Needless to say the cast is the really stunning cast. Next to the afro-mentioned McQueen and Robinson, there's the always reliable Karl Malden, as Shooter. Malden has the most developed character in the picture, and he does a great job. And the women, oh my god, two stunning young ladies are here in all their glory. Ann-Margret plays the cheater, the femme fatal, the sexy beast, who's married to Shooter but wants the Kid. Surely one of the most attractive actresses of her time, actually all time, Ann is presented here in all her glory and beauty and sex appeal. Her seduction of McQueen early in the film, is incredibly sexy, and played brilliantly. They say Ann learned to act during Carnal Knowledge in '71. but that's not true, she already was a versatile and talented actress here. Watch her face during the cockfight scenes, or her cheating while doing a jigsaw puzzle, she acts naturally, and does a great job. And those tight dresses she wears with lots of cleavage are eye candy in its best form. One of the sexiest performances ever. Definitely shows you can be looking divine, and having acting talent at the same time.

Tuesday Weld plays the good girl, the girl from the country, Christian, and while not as pretty as Ann, she's quite a looker too, and she's also a talented and natural actress. The supporting cast is rounded out by Joane Blondell, Rip Torn, Cab Calloway and Jack Weston, all great actors who all do a fine job. Music score by Lalo Schifrin is good too, and so is the title track sung by legendary Ray Charles.

As for the often-mentioned, often-criticized last hand, it's Hollywood, only Hollywood, not a poker documentary. The film needs a strong climax, and gets it. Norman Jewison is a fine director, and especially the poker scenes and head-shots are well directed. Not much action, not much character development but it's not much of a problem. If only Peckinpah had directed, now that could have been something, Jewison is a great substitute, but I like the thought Peckinpah could have even improved it.

Song More Memorable Than The Story

[ccthemovieman-1 · 7/10 · 14 March 2007]

Well, I've always enjoyed poker; Steve McQueen and Edward G. Robinson are two of my all- time favorite actors and I thought Tuesday Weld and Ann-Margaret were two of the most beautiful women in their day.....so why don't I love this movie?

Don't get me wrong: I like it, but I should have liked it a whole lot more. It's a bit too slow, for one thing, becoming more like a soap opera in parts and the movie drags for much too long. The story doesn't have much spark until the poker showdown at the end of the movie. That ending is an excellent one, too, but one has to wait too long to get there.

Robinson is good to watch, as he almost always was in his great acting career. He plays the only classy person in the film.

Watching this late in December of 2009 on some high-def equipment, I discovered how beautifully-filmed this movie appears.

What has stuck with me all these years, since I saw it in the theater in 1965, wasn't the story but the title song by Ray Charles. I have never been able to get "The Cincinnati Kid" song out of my head.

A classic film about a great game

[The_Void · 8/10 · 13 April 2005]

Steve McQueen's answer to Paul Newman's huge success with The Hustler isn't quite as good as the earlier classic; but it's still a damn fine movie. Poker is a fascinating game, and it therefore makes a great base for a film. The Cincinnati Kid capitalises on that fact and it draws all of it's excitement from the game at it's centre. The type of poker played in this movie is 5 card stud; and as a Texas Hold'Em fan, I was a little disappointed by this as stud simply isn't as good; but poker is poker, and 5 card stud is still an admirable base for a film. As implied, the film is at it's best when we're watching the action on the table; and it's easy to liken the structure of this movie to that of a disaster movie, in that it's central theme is the focus and the plot is then bulked out by human drama. The drama side of the story follows Eric Stoner (McQueen), a gambling man who's been honing his skills and working his way up to a game with 'The Man' (Edward G. Robinson). However, things are never that simple as when there's money involved; there's always someone willing to force it to go their way.

Steve McQueen makes a great leading man. His cocky swagger and charisma are always a delight to watch, but this combines with his off-screen personality, and when watching him I cant help but think about his big headedness when it comes to film billing and the like. However; he's not the star of this movie in my eyes, as it's Edward G. Robinson that takes that honour. Robinson is a fantastic actor, and one that rarely gets his dues when it comes to deciding the greatest actors of all time. Here, he adds great believability to his role as the top poker player and he ensures that the atmosphere around his player is one of confidence and authority. And that's how it should be - he is the man. The Cincinnati Kid is exciting throughout; but never more so than on the build up to it's conclusion. The ending is one of my favourite of all time, and Robinson's line shortly after the end stands up with the greatest lines ever written for cinema. While this film is no Hustler; it's still a damn good movie, and one that I hugely recommend. Especially if you're a poker player!

Probably the best Hollywood movie about poker (not that there is stiff competition)

[gridoon2024 · 7/10 · 1 January 2019]

Even if dated now that texas hold'em has become the most popular form of poker worldwide, the poker scenes of "The Cincinnati Kid" are still riveting. The love triangle stuff with Tuesday Weld and Ann Margret is superfluous, though both women look absolutely gorgeous. The surprise ending is the best part - VERY unusual for a Hollywood movie of its era. Don't get spoiled on it! *** out of 4.

Leaves You Breathless.............And Gutted

[bkoganbing · 9/10 · 23 November 2006]

Edward G. Robinson as Lancey Howard has been King of the Poker Players for a good long time. But as that eminent American philosopher Ric Flair says, "to be the man, you got to beat the man." And there's a kid from Cincinnati played by Steve McQueen who thinks he can do it.

McQueen's up for a fair and square game, but Robinson's developed a bad enemy in Rip Torn. Torn is this rich hotshot who thinks he's good, but he gets in a game with Robinson who guts Torn good and proper. No markers for Torn, he's rich enough to write out a check and pay it up front. But Torn's looking to get even and he ain't too squeamish about what he has to do.

The action of The Cincinnati Kid takes place over a three day period in New Orleans and in the French Quarter which was left fairly intact after Hurricane Katrina. It's fitting and proper the story location should be there, a city with a rich gambling tradition.

There's a couple of nice women's parts, kind of a coming of age for two young actresses who played virginal teenagers up to then, Tuesday Weld and Ann-Margret. Ann-Margret is the nymphomaniac wife of dealer Karl Malden, the Nathan Detroit of the piece. After The Cincinnati Kid, Ann-Margret never played innocents again.

Torn is a slick and malevolent villain who tries to compromise Karl Malden in his quest for vengeance against Robinson. Malden has a great part as a man who's caught by the short hairs.

Originally Spencer Tracy was to do the Lancey Howard role, but according to The Films of Steve McQueen, Tracy thought his role subordinate to McQueen's and bowed out. Other sources have said it was health reasons. Probably both are true. Anyway Robinson is a wily and wise old soul who goes to the poker table like most of us go to the office, to work.

This is one of Steve McQueen's four or five best screen roles, he's an ultimate rebel hero here. He's got what it takes to win, but he'll win it on his own terms.

This film is always called The Hustler at a card table. Like The Hustler, the last climatic scene of the poker showdown with McQueen and Robinson crackles with tension. Who's going to pull it out.

Don't think you can guess the outcome and all its ramifications. Not by a jugful

Card sharps...

[Lejink · 6/10 · 14 December 2008]

A fondly remembered film from my youth, I re-watched it recently this time with my critical faculties more fully engaged. I still like the film, but can see now its flaws in characterisation, plotting and depiction. It's been said before that this is McQueen's "The Hustler", like Newman's character before, a young, there's no better word for it, hustler with eyes on the prize, the top stud poker player around. To achieve this, he has to take down "The Man", Edward G Robinson's Lancey Howard. Culminating in a tense face-off between the two rivals, McQueen's Kid finds out if he has what it takes to be the man, or whether he has to accept second best. In actual fact, for me, the screen relationship between the two lead characters mirrors that of the actors themselves, young punk McQueen trying to upstage old established Robinson and it has to be said that the outcome there too is in favour of the older man. Whilst I'm an admirer of McQueen, he at times appears to be putting on his coolness, whereas with the veteran Robinson, it's all effortless poise. Solid dependable Karl Malden does his solid dependable thing in the main supporting role as the card-dealer too obviously on the Kid's side, but you can never believe that Ann Margret as the sexy young harpy could ever have married him or that he'd be stupid enough to encourage McQueen to chaperone her around. Tuesday Weld is very lightweight as McQueen's real love interest as the curiously named Christian, who lives up to her name by improbably forgiving her man's transgressions at the film's conclusion. You sense director Jewison straining for that naturalness between the two that Newman struck up on a pedal-bike with Katharine Ross, raindrops falling on their heads in "Butch Cassidy", but the lovers' pastoral scene fails to convince and simply passes by. There are a few attempts to place the movie in its milieu of 30's America but again they seem false, not helped by the fact McQueen doesn't even look as if he's wearing the correct clothing for the age. After a fine opening sequence where McQueen engineers a thrilling escape from gamblers he's bested, the movie fails to really lift again until the card-playing climax. In between there are too many uninvolving sub-plots but the showdown itself is well executed, leaving McQueen at the end familiarly slouching into a crouch, a la "The Great Escape's" "Cooler King" but this time in abject defeat rather than spirited doggedness. In conclusion a film that has dated poorly, (not helped by a tricksy soundtrack) and can't really be placed in the top rank of the best movies of the 60's, but a good watch nonetheless, particularly for Edward G's performance.

And..?

[fce2 · 5/10 · 27 November 2008]

This movie isn't boring, but it's nowhere near exciting or suspenseful either. It's biggest problem is, what's the point? Steve McQueen waits for the game, he plays the game, he loses the game. The end. 2 hours after I started watching the film, my life ain't changed a bit. I wasn't even particularly moved by the Kid losing everything, as his opponent's character was classy and sympathetic and Lancey's win also meant Slade's betting money going down the drain. I don't find poker exciting at all, so the game itself didn't deliver any suspense, and to top it off its outcome was as predictable as they come. The Kid losing all the money in one hand kind of symbolizes the film's failure, as nearly all of the drama is supposed to be in the poker game.

The film has some more problems. As other reviewers point out, the anachronisms are insulting to the viewers intelligence - unless, like myself, one didn't read that the movie was supposed to take place in the 20's or 30's beforehand. The movie was released in 1965 and most of the settings, costumes, hairstyles etc. look pretty much like the 60's. The only things hinting at the 30's are black people exclusively staffing all the low-wage jobs (bellboy, waiter, shoe polisher) and Kid taking a bus to visit his girl (a successful American gambler in the 60's would fly+taxi or drive instead). In fact I had found these things as anachronistic, before I educated myself reading the forums after the movie ended.

"Cincinnati Kid" concentrates so much on the poker game, that a whole bunch of interesting possibilities are ignored and left unresolved. What's "Cincinnati" about the Kid? What's the meaning of Lancey's presumed illness? What's the card trick about? What experience causes The Man to recommend to a fellow player not to bond with a woman? More issues while I'm on it: the movie treats us to a bloody, graphic cock-fight that serves no purpose at all (talk about pointless violence, Pulp Fiction-bashers). The Shooter character is supposed to be noble and respectable while coming across as weak, neurotic and eventually succumbing to a blackmail (what Slade had on him anyway???). Additionally, we're supposed to believe that a fun-loving hottie in Melba would fall for and marry this strawberry-nosed, boring old guy. The movie generally drags and the characters don't develop enough to really empathize with them, although you can feel the potential is there.

A strong redeeming quality of the movie is the acting. Ed Robinson is perfect as always, Steve McQueen does his usual blueyed subtleness and both Tuesday Weld and Ann-Margret deliver good performances as well as extremely good looks (plus a sweet voice on part of Tuesday). Rip Torn does the best one can do with an one-dimensional villain role and similarly Karl Malden with his annoying, incoherent character.

Generally, good actors turn this movie from a waste of time into a fairly engaging experience. Watch for Steve McQueen or sexy Ann-Margret but don't look for the advertised drama here..

what price honor?

[emousem · 13 March 2004]

I do neither doubt nor wonder that some do not `get' The Cincinnati Kid, but the fact remains it is simply one of the great money movies of all time. It is as cautionary an American tale as any rags-to-riches-to-rags story. It is as truthful as any courtroom drama, and as trenchant a commentary on a material culture as one is likely to find. Where its mythology falls short, I think, stems from the absence of a mentor for the lonely Eric Stoner (The Cincinnati Kid). He must face The Man, Lancey Howard, by his lonesome, with his only possible ally being the disreputable Shooter, a trustworthy card dealer and shark (he uses the word `mechanic') and a man who believes himself honorable, but who has slept with so many mangy dogs for so long he can shake neither the fleas nor the stink. Stoner's isolation-something he abets throughout the film-keeps him from defeating Howard. The film's subtext is revealed in a brief conversation between The Kid and his girlfriend, Christian. She sees a French film with Shooter's wife, Melba, and puzzles over a choice the foreign movie poses: is honor the most important thing in life? Is it worth dying for? For the moment The Cincinnati Kid doesn't think so. For him the answer seems obvious: `what good is honor if you're dead?' Yet he tries to defeat Howard honorably-and meets devastation. Principles and honor take a beating in this movie; nobody has the kind of character one would hold up as a gold standard. By inference the only honorable people are either black urbanites (seen here either shining shoes or playing jazz music), or country folk. The rest are hard-scrabbling sleeze, among whom honor is an alien virtue. Thus The Cincinnati Kid poses a fundamental question, one every American male seeking to improve his lot in life (Eric Stoner, Fast Eddie Felson, Bud Fox and many others) must answer: is victory (i.e. success) worth a tarnished name, or is it worth scheming and cheating for? And what good is honor when you've `died' in a card game and you haven't got two dimes to rub together?

not bad--not great either

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 20 May 2006]

This movie is in many ways like two different movies. One, some trivial romances and relationships that were, frankly, pretty uninteresting. And the other, about the build up to and execution of a game of high stakes poker. The poker part, believe it or not, is the best aspect of the film. In some ways, this movie reminded me of THE HUSTLER--but that was about pool,...and Paul Newman was a lot more "wet behind the ears" than Steve McQueen in this movie.

All-in-all, a time passer. I saw it because I am trying to see all the films of Edward G. Robinson. He plays a supporting part and does probably the best job of acting in the movie. Karl Malden, as always, is excellent. Look carefully and you'll see Cab Calloway as one of the players.

Decent but could use some infusion of life and energy. Also, I found the final hand between McQueen and Robinson ridiculous--one having a full house and the other a straight flush. The odds against having two hands that strong when playing head-to-head against someone is about 1224523631833491209301304031040309323882123 to 1! This didn't help the movie any as far as realism goes.

A royal flush of tough and realistic confrontation!

[Nazi_Fighter_David · 8/10 · 4 September 1999]

The town is New Orleans; the place is the old Hotel Lafayette; the game is 5 Card Stud Poker...

"The Cincinnati Kid" is a colorful drama of the adventures of a young card-shark in New Orleans, battling for supremacy in the side-street world of gambling against an old pro of the game...

Steve McQueen plays the cool, strong challenger, a young clever stud poker gambler, ready to risk his whole world on the turn of a card...

Edward G. Robinson portrays the tougher old man not ready to retire yet... The greatest stud poker player in New York, Chicago, Miami with an awful lot past to protect...'The Man' who can laid you out, strung you up, gutted you easy!

Karl Malden plays the disturbed dealer who has reached his middle years without having yet any assurance... He is well prepared to supply the Kid with some 'helping' hands...

Ann-Margret plays a sensual married woman who cheats at everything, and hates to spend the rest of her life with a man like Malden... Her character, Melba, is the sort of woman who got a man if she went after him and could walk out of the room after his girlfriend walks in and discovers them together, guilt free... She shows the character played by Tuesday Weld around the French Quarter, introducing her to the wild side. But for all her urbane sophistication, Melba is still searching for love in vain...

Tuesday Weld plays the sweet country girl in love...

Joan Blondell is the relief dealer whose only hope is to see the 'Man' finished!

If you like pressure and tension, and you love the atmosphere of professional poker marathon game, and you enjoyed "The Hustler" with Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason, well, don't even hesitate to see this fascinating exhibition of professional characters competing for supremacy...

With a theme song sung by Ray Charles, this suspenseful motion picture is a royal flush of tough and realistic confrontation!

STEVE MCQUEEN AND THE ETERNAL EFFORT...A MEDIOCRE MOVIE...WATCHABLE

[LeonLouisRicci · 7/10 · 10 September 2021]

Very Seldom, do You Hear Critics or Fans of Steve McQueen, a very Popular Movie Star, Discuss His Talent as an "Actor".

But Objectively the Case Could be Made that McQueen was Never Able to Convince that He was a Great Actor. Popular, a Star, Yes.

But the Acting Craft is Apart from those Accolades. He was Always Searching for the "Right Part" to Hone and Develop what "Gifts" He Had and Become a Better Player.

But Objectively the Case Could be Made that Attaining the Status of a "Great" Actor was Never Solidified.

This is one of those Roles where He could Attempt the Aforementioned as a Dramatic Thespian, aside from "Charisma" or sometimes Called "It",

Like Bogart Before Him McQueen could be Accused of Playing "McQueen" in His On Screen Performances.

Effective...Yes...Endearing...Yes...But the "Thing" of being a "Great" Actor...No.

"The Cincinnati Kid" Suffers a bit from the "Problem" of All Gambling Movies. That "Suspension of Disbelief" is very Difficult because of the Contrivance Endemic to the Predetermined Outcome of Every Turn of a Card.

Sure, All Films are "Contrived" but "Gambling" Movies Rest Heavily on Surprise and Mystery to Achieve Drama and Suspense.

Worth a Watch for a Killer Cast and to See Steve McQueen, Playing Steve McQueen in one of the First Roles where He is on that Search to be "More than he can be".

A slick, smart and well acted gem of a film

[ed56 · 10/10 · 5 January 2005]

Eric Stoner - The Cincinnati Kid (Steve Mqcueen) is going to take on The Man - Lancy Howard (A great as usual Edward G. Robinson) in the biggest poker game you will ever see, and you better not miss it. The movie follows the few days before the big game of the Cincinatti Kid and several other characters who in one way or another could be affected by the games results: One is a sort of a shady gangster (Rip Torn) who was "butchered" by "The Man" not very long ago and will do anything to get even with him including threaten and bribe one of the dealers named Shooter (Karl Malden) who is The kid's best friend. Also in the mix is Shooter's sexy and seductive wife Melba (Ann-Margret at her most beauty) who has a few things on her mind (one of them is money of course and none of them is her poor husband) and also are trying to tempt Mcqueen's Character who is in relationships with a sweet and innocent country girl named Christian (the lovely Tuesday Weld) who wants to settle down. the film hasn't got even one boring minute thanks to the first rate cast and the interesting dialogs. The final showdown at the hotel is probably the most tense and interesting poker game ever filmed in a movie. And who can forget the last thing Lancy tells the kid: "Gets down to what it's all about, doesn't it? Making the wrong move at the right time." Recommended 10/10

Mike vs Teddy KGB

[three8s2013 · 7/10 · 9 March 2019]

The Kid vs The Man This was a well written, well acted movie, very cool movie. Steve McQueen was one cool cat. I especially liked Shooter Karl Malden, the tortured soul who tried to save the Kids soul.

The odds on being dealt a straight flush at 5 card stud are 72,192 : 1

Why Not?

[dataconflossmoor-1 · 10/10 · 24 November 2008]

A prerequisite to enjoying this movie to it's absolute fullest is that you possess the ability to thoroughly comprehend the mindset of all the pivotal characters involved.. What exactly is their dubious mindset anyway? Here is my interpretation of it..1) Winning at gambling is far more gratifying than winning at anything else. 2)Running the risk of losing a formidable sum of money is a flaunting form of vindication which nurtures everybody's incredibly inflated egos. 3) The woman you wind up in bed with is reduced to chattel, she is nothing more than a mere token of your success. Last, but certainly not least, #4) A conventional lifestyle is a high roller's most deadly adversary!! These men are gamblers, which means the ground rules encompass a desultory and lethal contention of all or nothing. "The Cincinnati Kid" establishes a dire genre of happenstance adversity that relegates the protagonists to a sink or swim situation. This is carried off in this movie with a very convincing callousness. Steve McQueen is sensational in this movie, as is Ann Margaret, and, so too is Edward G Robinson. Director, Norman Jewison does a tremendous job at depicting a scenario whereby life is literally reduced to the luck of the draw.. Suddenly, the jack of diamonds stares Steve McQueen in the face, and life as he knows it is over. Norman Jewison, the director of this film, "The Cincinnati Kid", had a different idea of how this picture should end. Executive producer's wishes for the type of ending this film should have, emerged victorious over Jewison's, and mollified the catastrophic outcome of this flick. They (The Producers) dispensed with the idea that the bottom should have to fall out, thus upholding that Steve McQueen should not experience total devastation, to which, Norman Jewison simply asked "Why Not?" I loved this movie, I give it a perfect 10!!!! Particulairly on account of the visceral creativity that "Cincinnati Kid" casually manufactures, and comfortably sustains the movie audience with in a very entertaining state of suspense!!

Colorful movie about poker game , including a vivid character studio and wonderful photography

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 8 March 2014]

An up-and-coming poker player tries to prove himself in a high-stakes match against a long-time master of the game (Edward G. Robinson , though Spencer Tracy was originally cast as Lancey Howard but poor health forced him to withdraw and he was replaced). Cincinnati Kid lets nothing stand in his way , especially the reigning king of the card tables , Lancey Howard . Cincinnati gets together in 30's New Orleans for big poker game with unexpected consequences .

This interesting film contains emotion , drama , a lot of competing game in the tradition of the not dissimilar : The Hustler , and meaningless romances between McQueen , Tuesday Weld and Ann Margret . Nice acting by Steve McQueen as a roving card-shark determined on his way to the big time, here he had one of his earliest and best performances . Awesome Edward G. Robinson as a veteran poker player , this is the second movie in which plays a gambler that features a straight flush in diamonds , the first was Smart Money (1931) . Extraordinary support cast such as Rip Torn , Jack Weston , Cab Calloway , Jeff Corey , Milton Selzer , Karl Swenson , Robert DoQui , Dub Taylor and Sharon Tate was replaced in the film by Tuesday Weld . And special appearance by Joan Blondell , Mitzi Gaynor campaigned for the role of "Lady Fingers", but it ended up going to Joan ; rumors are abound as to why Blondell got the role, with the most common being that Gaynor and Ann-Margret did not quite get along . Appropriate and evocative Art Direction by Edward C. Carfagno and George W. Davis . Marvelous cinematography capturing splendidly New Orleans settings by top-notch director of photography Philip H. Lathrop . Adequate as well as atmospheric soundtrack by Lalo Schifrin , including catching jazz music .

The motion picture was well realized by Norman Jewison , he directed after Sam Peckinpah was fired by producer Martin Ransohoff who was unhappy with the film tone and fired Peckinpah . Jewison is a prestigious and veteran filmmaker, his greatest hit is , of course , ¨Jesus Christ Superstar¨ . He directed successful movies as ¨Fiddler on the roof¨ , ¨Agnes of God¨ , ¨Moonstruck¨ , ¨Thomas Crown¨ and this ¨Cinncinati Kid¨ . However , he also got some flops as ¨Bogus¨, ¨In country¨ , ¨Only you¨ and ¨Other's people money¨ and his last picture titled ¨The statement¨ . He considers ¨The Hurricane¨ (1999) the last in a trilogy of racial bigotry movies he's realized, the first two being ¨In the Heat of the Night¨ (1967) and ¨A Soldier's Story¨ (1984). Cincinnati Kid rating : Good, worthwhile seeing for its prodigious interpretations , magnificent settings and colorful cinematography .

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a poker player's dream

[blanche-2 · 8/10 · 14 September 2014]

Five-card stud isn't played much anymore, but it's played for something like 30 hours in the final hour of "The Cincinnati Kid," a 1965 film directed by Norman Jewison and starring Steve McQueen, Edward G. Robinson, Karl Malden, Ann-Margret, Tuesday Weld, and Joan Blondell.

McQueen is The Cincinnati Kid, a rounder, someone who looks for poker action in various towns, and Robinson is a long-time champion, also a rounder. There were no casinos in those days, the '30s. The story takes place in New Orleans.

Robinson, as Lancey Howard, has made a few enemies in his day, notably Slater (Rip Torn, who in these '60s films reminds me of Bradford Dillman). Slater is determined that when Howard hits town, he loses to The Kid. Toward that effort, he bribes one of the dealers, Shooter (Karl Malden). The two men finally meet in a poker game, one which has breaks - you can't play nonstop for 30 hours. During one of the breaks, The Kid tells Shooter that he knows the deal is rigged and insists on a clean game, saying that he doesn't need help to win.

Subplots concern Melba, Shooter's gorgeous wife (Ann-Margret) who is after The Kid, and The Kid's romance with a local girl (Weld).

The poker game is great. It's tense and exciting, although the hands are statistically nearly impossible to appear in the same game.

McQueen does a lot with a little - a look, a stare, a smile, He was a master of subtle acting, plus he has natural presence and sexiness. He died way too soon. The versatile Robinson, who could be a down-low crook or a mogul, is charming and elegant here.

The location, the period, and the dialogue lend themselves to the atmosphere created. And the cast is terrific -- Joan Blondell as a replacement dealer, Jack Weston as a fellow player, Torn as the angry Slater, Ann-Margret in top form in looks and sex appeal, Malden as the frustrated Shooter - all are excellent.

Considered one of the best, if not the best poker movie of all time. It's also a wonderful example of how "action" can take place without car chases and bombs going off.

Pointless

[bsinc · 6/10 · 3 September 2003]

What exactly does this movie try to say. A well known good poker player called The Kid tries his luck with the best poker player there is and looses. OK! The script really goes nowhere, no romantic subplots, no real subplots at all, the whole movie is basically preparing for "the game" which, when it ends, left me completely cold and unsatisfied. No point to the "Cincinnati Kid" whatsoever. One of the first Steve McQueen movies I saw, but I can't say that I was impressed, plot-wise or acting-wise. Some nice cinematography and some nice scenes, but otherwise poker had its better days. 6/10

"Woulda, coulda" movie full of problems

[tarmcgator · 4/10 · 5 June 2005]

This might have been a better and more profound film about maturity and honor had the script "dealt" more thoroughly on the only two characters who really matter: "The Kid," Eric Stoner (Steve McQueen," and "The Man," Lancey Howard (Edward G. Robinson). This is their story, and there isn't enough of it. Ultimately, after the big poker shootout, we're left to wonder what it was all about. It ain't just cards and money, is it?

The script, credited to Ring Lardner Jr. and Terry Southern, from the novel by Richard Jessup, is too much here-and-now. Why is Howard "The Man" among stud poker players, and why is Stoner held in such high regard by the New Orleans gamblers?. Robinson is his usual professional self and does well with what script he has, but I wanted to know more about him – e.g., what happened in his earlier years to lead him to tell Stoner to avoid a long-term relationship with a woman?

Same for The Kid. Aside from the opening sequence, McQueen the action figure has little to do in "The Cincinnati Kid." I don't recall ever hearing what he had to do with Cincinnati, either, but that early sequence – a fight with a sore loser in a small-stakes poker game – does hint at the Kid's origins. It would have been nice to know more about how he acquired the skills needed to take on The Man. McQueen is one of my favorite film actors, and he's not bad here. But the The Kid is a younger man (mid-20s rather than md-30s), talented and capable but not as entirely confident in himself as McQueen usually came across.

Other than the shallow script, "The Cincinnati Kid" has some other serious flaws. Aside from a few old cars and some of the costumes, it would be difficult to place this film in the 1930s (I'm guessing it's supposed to 1935-36). McQueen, Rip Torn, and some of other males look like they've just done a fashion spread for a 1964 issue of "Esquire." Anachronistic art direction and costume design were common problems in 1950s-60s Hollywood movies set in the 1920s-30s, though that would change drastically two years later with the work of art director Dean Tavoularis and costume designer Theadora van Runkle on "Bonnie and Clyde." The filmmakers here give us some vague notion that this is The Great Depression, and of course everyone is supposed to know that the times were tough; but there's little of that desperation conveyed on the screen. (By way of contrast, check out another film set in Depression New Orleans, "Hard Times," Walter Hill's first directorial achievement, from 1975, to see the impact of "Bonnie and Clyde.")

The writers put some interesting supporting characters into the film. Tuesday Weld really steals the picture, as the girlfriend McQueen loves but can't commit to. Jeff Corey and Cab Calloway have quirky little roles as gamblers, but others -- Joan Blondell as washed-up female cardshark, Jack Weston as a greedy, overconfident gambler – are predictable and stereotypical. Rip Torn does the villainous, decadent Southerner bit that he was turning into a career. Ann-Margret was a big star at the time and seemed to revel in playing the sex-kitten, but her presence in the movie seems more calculated for box-office appeal than for logical casting as Karl Malden's greedy wife, a rather secondary role at that. Malden has been a good actor for certain types of tough, masculine roles; but I couldn't believe that his "Shooter" -- a middle-aged gambler with integrity but without much charm or future -- would attract into marriage a hedonistic and unprincipled babe like Ann-Margret's Melba. Shooter is an important character in the film -– Stoner's trusted friend who is blackmailed into betraying The Kid's desire for an honest and straight-up confrontation with The Man. We need to know more about how Shooter and The Kid got together and came to trust each other.

As noted elsewhere, this film tried to trade off the popularity of "The Hustler" as well as the box-office appeal of McQueen and Ann-Margret. The poker game is the climax of "The Cincinnati Kid," of course, a prolonged shootout in which no blood is shed but a lot of people get hurt. I am no poker player, but the game held my attention down to the last hand. One guy has to lose: youthful talent or aged experience? And when it's over, what of it? "The Cincinnati Kid" offers only a glimpse of the loser's future, and a rather predictable one at that. Most viewers will find "The Cincinnati Kid" entertaining enough for one look, but it is not the kind of film you'll want to see often unless you are a die-hard fan of McQueen, Robinson, or five-card stud.

BTW: The "French" movie that Tuesday Weld's character talks about early in "The Cincinnati Kid" is a real flick – "La Kermesse heroique," (The Heroic Village Fair), which was released in the United States as "Carnival in Flanders." This 1935 film (a hint to the historic timing of "The Cincinnati Kid") was directed by Belgian-born Jacques Feyder, from a story by Charles Spaak, and was highly honored, winning the Grand Prix du Cinema Francaise and the Best Foreign Film awards from the New York Film Critics' Circle and the National Board of Review in the United States. It was warmly praised as a satire on European militarism and politics in the 1930s – Nazi Germany at first approved of it, then banned it when World War II started – but also came to be seen by some during and after the war as an endorsement of collaboration with an occupying enemy. The Kid's question to his girlfriend, "What good is honor if your dead?," might have come right out of Feyder's film (which I finally got to view in 2009).