The Cincinnati Kid | | Cast : | Steve McQueen, Edward G. Robinson, Ann-Margret | | Director : | Norman Jewison | | Studio : | Warner Home Video | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen | | Released Date : | October 15, 1965 | | DVD Released Date : | May 31, 2005 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), French (Dubbed), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled) | | Audience Rating : | NR (Not Rated) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | July 28, 2005 | | Summary | A great "oldie" | Content
 | Purchased the Cincinnati Kid for my husband who has a large library of poker related movies and books. He said this one is still the best of even the much newer movies.
With the increase in the interest of poker today, this movie is great not only because of the content but also the old actors and actresses e.g. Steve McQueen, Edward G. Robinson, Ann Margaret, Joan Blondell. Even for the younger set who probably do not know these older actors the excitement of the poker game is still there. |
| Rating | | | Date | July 23, 2005 | | Summary | For TV (...) Fans Only | Content
| I will give "The Cincinnati Kid" this much; the film perfectly and colorfully captures the milieu of the gambling world of Depression-era New Orleans. There are a number of colorful character performances on hand here most notably by Edward G. Robinson, Karl Malden, and Ann-Margret. My problem with the film is that as a non-afficienado of card-playing this film did not engage me. It is not necessarily a prerequisite to be a fan of the game to appreciate the film. A good example of this would be "The Hustler" which involved pool-sharks, another sport that is alien to me. That film at least involved you because you had compelling combatants in the persons of Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason. Herein lies the enigma of "The Cincinnati Kid": the Kid is not a particularly fleshed out or interesting character to engender our rooting interest. This is odd because Steve McQueen usually imbues his characters with some depth but he seems lost with this character. Either that or the Kid is not a particularly well written character. Your enjoyment of this film is dependent on your interest in stud (...) while others be forewarned. |
| Rating | | | Date | June 29, 2005 | | Summary | Making the Wrong Move at the Right Time. | Content
| 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. |
| Rating | | | Date | April 29, 2005 | | Summary | "A Bad Little Girl Named Melba Niles" | Content
| Poker is the setting and the power of corruption is the theme of The Cincinnati Kid. The two protagonists in the poker match are The Kid (Eric Stoner, played by Steve McQueen) and The Man Himself (Lancey Howard, played by Edward G. Robinson); youthful, exuberant, but inexperienced and innocent challenger vs. the accomplished, dedicated, wise yet dessicated champion.
The primary vector of corruption is Melba Niles (played by Ann-Margret) in a remarkable role. At the outset her husband (The Shooter, played by Karl Malden) complains that she cheats at everything as she puts together a jigsaw puzzle by trimming the wrong pieces with manicure scissors. Her influence despoils everything it touches: Shooter's "reputation is the one of the few stable things in a world of crumbling values" at the start of the movie; he's the only dealer everyone can trust. By the end of the movie his reputation is in tatters, giving "an occasional helpful card" to The Kid at the whim of Slade (Rip Torn) who threatens to expose Melba's past. The portrayal of Shooter's descent is well done; Melba laughs and mocks as he wrestles with his conscience ("I'll only help him if he really needs it. He might not need any help at all.").
In an early scene Christian (The Kid's girl, played by Tuesday Weld) and Melba go to the movies. As Christian describes the movie to the Kid, she is puzzled that people in the movie "valued their lives more than their honor". The Kid explains (as to a naive child): "Well, yeah. What good is honor if you are dead?" At some level the movie "The Cincinnati Kid" seems to ask the obverse question "What good is your life if you don't have your honor?"
Later, Melba asks the Kid (with Christian present) about the upcoming game with Lancey; Christian didn't know about this major event in the Kid's life and she goes home to her parents feeling hurt, thinking that she doesn't have The Kid's confidence, that he doesn't even tell her about it. The Kid ends up thinking that maybe she doesn't love him anymore.
During Christian's absence Melba tries to seduce the Kid, and at first the Kid can resist her, recognizing Melba's corrupting influence and not wanting to cuckold his friend The Shooter. But because of the confluence of circumstances (Shooter's dishonesty and Christian's indifference) he succumbs to her. As you might expect, the Kid pays a heavy price for this weakness.
Other attractions are the snappy dialog, and the final showdown between the Kid and the Man is a classic scene not to be missed. |
| Rating | | | Date | April 20, 2005 | | Summary | this is one of my favorites! | Content
| every time this movie comes on TCM, i have to look at it. the stud poker scenes are intense. Steve McQueen and Edward G. are suberb. i just love it! and the title song sung by the Great Ray Charles is a treat. i just love it. Worth ordering and adding to my collection. |
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