Gambit (1966)

Sick Product of a Sick System

A Masterpiece!

Yo, there's no way for me to review this film without saying, take your *insert ethnicity + "ass" here* to see this film,like now. You have to see it in order to know what you're really messing with.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

Nicole Chang (Shirley MacLaine) is a Hong Kong nightclub dancer. Harry Dean (Michael Caine) hires her to do a job. He plans to rob the wealthy recluse Ahmad Shahbandar (Herbert Lom). His late wife resembled Nicole and with a makeover, she becomes an exact copy posing as Harry's wife.The movie starts with a long fake out. It does throw the movie off in a strange mood as essentially it redoes the first act. I actually love the real Nicole Chang. The relationship between her and Harry is much more complicated. I really don't like it at first but then the movie does the standard rom-com love-hate move. These two great actors almost sold me on this pairing but in the end, it's a little too hard. The caper has plenty of twists and it's pretty good. There are a couple of unusual elements in this movie that keeps me from truly loving it.

A corkscrew picture with so many twists and turns you may need to take notes. I love the screenplay idea that first shows how the theft is supposed to go, and then shows how it really goes. Very imaginative and a perfect set-up for comedy. As it is, the movie's a rather light- hearted caper film where everybody outwits everybody else, but no one really gets hurt.Caine's perfect as the conniving English gentleman. Besides no one wears upscale suits as well as he. MacLaine too is a dazzler in her many gowns; let's just hope they weren't paying her by the word. Note how athletic she is, a skill from her days as a dancer, I suppose. It's sort of good to see the scary Herbert Lom as the Big Cheese rich guy. I'm troubled, however, because his commanding presence always makes me bolt from the chair and stand at attention.Anyway, there are echoes here from 1964's Topkapi, but this one's more plot heavy. Then too, I can't decide whether that very last twist is just one too many or a perfect way to end a corkscrew film. All in all, it's an imaginative heist movie at a time when there were lots, but this one's as good as any. Besides, I nominate Caine and MacLaine as the eye-catching couple of the decade, or maybe longer.

Michael Caine and Shirley Maclaine star in "Gambit," a 1966 movie done in the style so popular in that era, the "caper" film. Inspired by the success and style of "Charade," the '60s brought us "How to Steal a Million," "Topkapi," "Rififi" et al. - sophisticated, glamorous, international, breezy fun. In "Gambit," Harry (Michael Caine) hires Nicole (Maclaine) to pose as his exotic wife so that he can get into the apartment of the richest man in the world, Shabhandar, played by Herbert Lom. "There's no such thing as the richest man in the world," Nicole complains. "It's like the highest star or - " "Okay, the second richest man in the world, the third richest!" Harry yells. Nicole is made up to resemble Shabhandar's late wife. The purpose: robbery.Without giving anything away, the beginning of the film is fabulous and draws the viewer in immediately. Caine is a riot as the gifted Harry, who finds that coping with Nicole is one part of the plan he hadn't counted on, and Maclaine is very funny as a performer who gets more involved in her assignment than she wanted to. Herbert Lom, as the first, second, whatever wealthiest man in the world, Shabhandar, is perfect portraying the urbane, suspicious, and calculating recluse.This isn't the top of the genre, but it's still very enjoyable.

Fans of caper films and stylish heist yarns should be pleased with this well-appointed entry. Caine plays a shifty Englishman who recruits a jaded Eurasian dance-hall girl (MacLaine) to aid him in his latest plot. Due to her resemblance to the dead wife of the richest man in the world (Lom), he plans to use her to gain entry to the man's heavily guarded suite where he can map out a way to pilfer a priceless piece of sculpture. He intends to gussy MacLaine up in the appropriate hairstyle, clothing and manner of the dead woman, knowing that Lom will be fascinated enough by her to let his guard down. To reveal more would rob first-time viewers of some of the twistier elements of the script. A significant twist occurs about a quarter of the way in and it isn't the last one. The story begins one way and then takes off on a different tangent, giving the audience a chance to amply discover that the best laid plans don't always turn out they way they're intended to! Caine was just emerging as a major name in the cinema and gives a low-key, but assured performance here. His stern, understated persona is a terrific counterpoint to the more animated MacLaine (she hand-picked him for this role.) MacLaine is given a considerable showcase which allows her to display her range. She plays both a demure, silent, deliberately mechanical type and a chatty, animated, opinionated person. She also gets to show off her incredibly limber physique in one climactic scene. Lom is excellent, conveying a sure authority and a suave, aristocratic presence. Though the film is chiefly a three character showcase, all the other roles are portrayed by talented character actors. One small role is played by Tayback, who would later make a splash as the loud-mouthed short-order cook on TV's "Alice". The film is visually arresting, thanks to excellent set design, art direction and some eye-catching Jean Louis costumes. It's glossy, tasteful, old-fashioned entertainment featuring two charismatic stars. Caine and MacLaine would pair up again the next year in "Woman Times Seven" and be reunited almost 40 years later in "Bewitched".