Review of The Cincinnati Kid (1965) by Brandon S — 01 Feb 2010
'The Cincinatti Kid' has Steve McQueen as a poker player looking to break into the big time by taking on 'The Man' played by Edward G Robinson. A fantastic cast including Rip Torn, Ann Margret and Tuesday Weld.
Steve McQueen doesn't have the troubled depth of Brando but is damn good in this part. I was able to listen to the commentary version by the director Norman Jewison. He wanted 'The Kid' to end up with nothing in the end but the studio had the beautiful Tuesday Weld's character, 'Christian', waiting for him round the corner when he loses all his money and more to 'The Man'.
This despite the fact that he allows Melba, an utter sex bomb, played wonderfully by Ann Margret, to hop into bed with him. I didn't object to the upbeat ending here really. I thought it underlined how contrasting the world of poker he was trying to break into was to the love and compassion of the world represented by Christian.
The only time people laugh around a card game is when 'The Kid' shows some card tricks to her family. In every other frame of the film he uses a deck of cards like a weapon.
This review of The Cincinnati Kid (1965) was written by Brandon S on 01 Feb 2010.
The Cincinnati Kid has generally received positive reviews.
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