- Overview
An up-and-coming poker player tries to prove himself in a high-stakes match against a long-time master of the game.
- Release Date
15 October 1965
- DirectingNorman Jewison
- Budget
$0.00
- Revenue
$15,260,000.00
- Stars
Videos
User Reviews
See moreJohn Chard
16 May 2024
People will sit down at the table with you, just so they can say they played with The Man 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
More Like This
The Man with the Golden Arm
A junkie must face his true self to kick his drug addiction. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with The Film Foundation in 2005.
See more
Interview with the Vampire
A vampire relates his epic life story of love, betrayal, loneliness, and dark hunger to an over-curious reporter.
See more
JFK
Follows the investigation into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy led by New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison.
See more
A Streetcar Named Desire
A fading southern belle moves in with her sister in New Orleans where her ferocious brother-in-law takes stabs at her sanity.
See more
A River Runs Through It
The Maclean brothers, Paul and Norman, live a relatively idyllic life in rural Montana, spending much of their time fly fishing. The sons of a...
See more
Barry Lyndon
An Irish rogue uses his cunning and wit to work his way up the social classes of 18th century England, transforming himself from the humble Redmond...
See more
Johnny Handsome
A career criminal who has been deformed since birth is given a new face by a kindly doctor and paroled from prison. It appears that he has gone...
See more
Casino
In early-1970s Las Vegas, Sam "Ace" Rothstein gets tapped by his bosses to head the Tangiers Casino. At first, he's a great success in the job, but...
See more
A Gambler's Story
Suki is a very devoted gambler. Whenever he goes to Macau, he buys a return ticket in advance, just in case he loses all his money. After breaking...
See more
All In
Facing severe financial stress, a father must enter in a high-stakes poker game in order to provide for his family.
See more
A Bronx Tale
Set in the Bronx during the tumultuous 1960s, an adolescent boy is torn between his honest, working-class father and a violent yet charismatic...
See more
Johnny Eager
A charming racketeer seduces the DA's stepdaughter for revenge, then falls in love.
See more
Runaway Jury
After a workplace shooting in New Orleans, a trial against the gun manufacturer pits lawyer Wendell Rohr against shady jury consultant Rankin Fitch...
See more
Intacto
An enigmatic tale of four people whose lives are intertwined by destiny are subject to the laws of fate. They discover that luck is something they...
See more
Buffalo '66
Billy is released after five years in prison. In the next moment, he kidnaps teenage student Layla and visits his parents with her, pretending she...
See more
Red Rooms
The high-profile case of serial killer Ludovic Chevalier has just gone to trial, and Kelly-Anne is obsessed. When reality blurs with her morbid...
See more
Poms
After moving to a retirement community, loner Martha eventually befriends her fun-loving neighbor, Sheryl, and forms a cheerleading club for...
See more
Tazza: One Eyed Jack
A young poker player at the top of his game joins a team led by the legendary poker player One-Eyed Jack. While successfully working on a plan to...
See more