Spotlight

Spotlight Date: 4-December-11
Spoiler Rating: Medium

Gambit (1966)

Someone recently commented that even when I like a movie, my review of it is critical. While I ponder whether to be concerned about this, let me begin my review of the crime caper Gambit by stating that I like it and two things about it annoy me. First, it takes place in an Arab country but does not appear to have a single real Arab among its cast or extras. Second, like hundreds of other movies before and since, it expects the audience to applaud a criminal for reasons which I find morally and logically faulty. By Hollywood standards it's okay to steal from rich people because (a) they deserve it because of their wealth; (b) it won't hurt them, so what the hell; (c) getting money without working is admirable; (d) cool people naturally rise to the challenge that a heist provides; or (e) all of the above. Some combination of these is at play in Gambit … which, as I mentioned, is enjoyable nevertheless.

The action revolves around the theft of a statue by an Englishman named Harry Dean (Michael Caine), who is not especially cool but likes to think he is. A clever opening device explains his plan in its entirety, which allows viewers to recognize the unexpected dangers and off-the-cuff moves when it gets underway. The key to Harry's scheme is the resemblance between Nicole Chang, a Eurasian dance hall girl (Shirley MacLaine), and the dead wife of Ahmad Shahbandar, the richest man on Earth (Herbert Lom). If Harry and Nicole arrive at Shahbandar's four-star hotel, posing as a lord and lady, this resemblance is sure to come to his attention. This will prompt an invitation to dinner, during which Nicole can lure Shahbandar out of his penthouse long enough for Harry to lift the statue.

Harry misjudges the other players in his plot. Wishful thinking leads him to expect that Nicole, whom he keeps in the dark about his purpose, will be a silent pawn, but in classic MacLaine fashion she is bubbly, curious, and able to think for herself. As for Shahbandar, he's a far cry from the reclusive, old-fashioned widower described in magazines. A sophisticated and vigorous man of the world, he suspects Harry and Nicole from the start, so it quickly becomes a matter of cat and mice. This causes some suspense about who will outwit whom. The answer to this question seesaws up to the very end. With Shahbandar being neither an easy mark nor a boor (and quite attractive), I kept hoping that one of the surprises would be Nicole running off with him, thus belying the movie's apparent adherence to another Hollywood standard about "the girl" always falling for the criminal. Alas, love rears its head between Nicole and Harry despite their lack of chemistry and constant bickering. I wonder if the Gambit remake slated for next year will offer a less appealing rich guy and a more appealing thief, allowing me to write a review of unqualified approval.

Copyright © 2011 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.