The Cincinnati Kid
Director: Norman Jewison
Year Released: 1965
Rating: 1.5
Remarkably lucky Steve McQueen sets out to challenge legendary card player Edward G. Robinson in a game of poker to see who's the greatest - there's a full hour of shallow filmmaking before the tense last half-hour and their marathon match. Robinson and Karl Malden add class to the production, Ann-Margret plays the sex kitten (a familiar role) and McQueen looks intense and focused, but there isn't much to think about later except the admonition that one should never underestimate one's elders and that being young is not always an advantage. I don't believe Peckinpah would have made much more out of this than Jewison.
