[5]

Not being a poker player, there’s probably a lot about The Cincinatti Kid that I simply don’t get. Still, for a movie about people sitting at a table playing cards, it ain’t half bad. Steve McQueen and Edward G. Robinson play the heavies who come head-to-head in the high-stakes climax. Karl Malden plays the man who sets the game up, black-mailed into rigging the event by a wealthy gambler (Rip Torn). The female roles are the standard throw-aways: Tuesday Weld plays the wholesome one while Ann-Margret plays the slutty one. Joan Blondell makes the most of her small part, playing a seasoned gambler who holds her own with the boys. McQueen and Robinson are fun to watch and the big game is more engaging than I imagined, but it’s too little story spread over too much time.

Directed by Norman Jewison; with Cab Calloway and Dub Taylor.