Gambit

Gambit is a fun but dated caper film starring Michael Caine, Shirley MacLaine and Herbert Lom. The first half of the film is Caine describing the perfect heist. Caine is cool and resourceful, MacLaine is beautiful and silent, Lom who is the mark, is the shifty wealthy Arab. The second half of the film is the actual heist taking place as they try to steal a priceless sculpture and things do not go according to plan but the film still has a few twists up its sleeve. MacLaine is miscast as a Eurasian, Lom is less of a villain but a man who is urbane as well as suspicious and knows early on that something is afoot. It is an enjoyable romp with a lightness of touch.

Trailer—Gambit

source: Gambit

Good acting. Good story. Good villain. Well developed, there's an interesting first part (the plan as envisioned by Caine's character), middle part (the development) and very interesting ending. This is the sort of film you'd expect the ending to go a certain just about predictable way, and it absolutely doesn't at all, like, there are no clues of where the film is really taking the audience. And there's a good moral right at the death too (which is really where the whole movie is driving). Dialog is very good too, with some good wit and that avoid the tacky lines this sort of film will often throw at the viewer. Caine is good as always, Lom as the villain does his job just right, and Maclaine manages her role very well, and looks absolutely gorgeous here. There's just enough originality and volume to this film to break the usual monotonous storytelling its genre will often supply, and it's well balanced that it starts as intriguingly as it ends. Good stuff ! 8/10.

In the first 20 minutes of 'Gambit' we witness a perfect heist. A charming crook named Harry (Michael Caine) recruits dancer Nicole (Shirley MacLaine) from a Hong Kong cabaret to lure the rich Shahbandar (Herbert Lom) in order to steal an invaluable statue of an ancient Chinese empress. The face in the statue is strikingly similar to that of Nicole, but also of the magnate's deceased wife. Everything is going perfectly, but something seems to be wrong. Nicole IS SILENT. That is, a heroine played by the assertive Shirley MacLaine not to utter a word? We will quickly understand that this is just about planning a robbery. The real action begins again, in 20 minutes, and this time Nicole not only will speak, but will play the central role in fulfilling Harry's robbery plans. The 1966 'Gambit' is directed by Ronald Neame, an excellent movie industry professional, who not only was the author of several successful films, but signed the image of many other films, wrote screenplays, was a producer. An encyclopedic film maker we could say. Under his directing, the film has rhythm and humor, combining the genres of films about robberies and scams with an inevitable romantic intrigue. I haven't seen the 2012 remake signed by the Coen brothers, but if we are to trust the rates given by viewers on IMDB, Neame's version is much more successful. The story takes us to the Hong Kong of the '60s, which in the perspective of the past years and of the political changes is a real nostalgic journey, and in an imaginary Asian Muslim country, both presented in a picturesque and authentic way. It is obvious that Ronald Neame knew his job well. The film belongs to that category of entertainment that was very popular in the 60's, when the world was just opening up to travel. It is true that the images of the international airports where you could drive or wait for passengers at the stairs of the plane seem to be from another world. These films were largely based on an action scenario, relaxed and with humor (there is one!), on exotic landscapes (they are plenty!) and on the charm of the stars in the main roles. The charisma of Shirley MacLaine in the role of the exotic dancer who gives classes from the point of view of culture and good manners to the crook disguised as an English lord played by Michael Caine dominates the film. For her, but not only for her, 'Gambit' deserves to be watched today.

Chief Inspector Dreyfuss of Pink Panther (Herbert Lom) is in here and plays an Arab guy. This movie is a cont. of many of these like Topkapi, Pink Panther, After the Fox stealing treasures of Mid East things probably inspired by the actual famous diamond heist of the Shah in the 50s, in the Mid East, one of the famous heists along with the Great Train Robbery. The sudden romance out of nowhere is dumb in here, crap. The rest of the flick is good. Best parts def. the prep and commencement of Michael Caine in the cat burglary itself.

Gambit (1966) I love both Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine, and yet I went into the movie with low expectations. Maybe this was partly the dull poster art (which is all I had to go on), or just the fact I had never heard of the movie (and I see a lot of movies from this era). And it was really good! Yes, a fun, snappy, somewhat contrived but still engaging piece of very 1960s entertainment. It begins with a narrative trick, which I can't reveal, but the first twenty minutes is a kind of set-up or reference point for the next hour. Once you see it happen, it's a big laugh, and they actors play it out well, though with a slight bit of camp. Caine plays a thief and con man, and MacLaine is just a willing and slightly naive participant. At first. We are supposed to believe, as well, that these two young charming people are not made for each other (they act disinterested), but the love story becomes a small part of the situation. The third main actor is Herbert Lom, who plays an Arab connected to oil (this is several years before the oil embargo, and more than a decade before the first big Islamic uprising, the one in Iran in 1979). He happens to be the richest man in the world. And a target for this British man looking for easy success. Easy it is, if only things were what they seemed at first. Brightly lit, photographed with verve and acted with a kind of wink to the camera, the movie is just good fun. This isn't a drama, it's a comedy, and it will brighten your day even if you have to ignore the forced twists in the plot. Michael Caine had just finished filming the astonishing "Alfie" which is both funny and truly dramatic, and he was proving to be a complex and yet still caddishly likable leading man, very British. Shirley MacLaine (an American) had been making charming funny movies for some time, playing the cute and vulnerable "girl" over and over (as in "The Apartment" best of all, but see "Irma la Douce" too, where she is a prostitute). Together here they are really well matched and hold up the movie start to finish. Remember to make it through the "set-up" part of the movie, which will at first seem a little stiff. It makes sense later!

Cor blighmy. Michael Caine is sure good at nicking stuff

I love heist flicks, and this overlooked item delivered the things I like about the best heist flicks: suspense, trickery, a plot twist or two, and humor. This is a dead-on heist/comedy that surprised me with a couple of twists. I've always been a Michael Caine fan, so naturally I'll tell you that his performance here is up to his high standards. I've never really been a Shirley MacClaine fan, though, so it was a surprise to me that she was so good in her role. What kind of summary can I give without giving everything away? Harry Dean (Caine) has his sights on some loot, but needs a partner for his scheme. Nicole Chang (MacClaine) turns out to be everything he hoped for. But he didn't count on her being as clever or as alluring as she turns out to be. 8/10

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".