‘The Cincinnati Kid’ Movie Review – Thrilling Poker
Based on Richard Jessup’s 1963 novel with the same name, the movie tells the story of Eric ‘The Kid’ Stoner. Played by Steve McQueen, The Kid is very good at poker, maybe even one of New Orleans’s best. The young fellow secures a seat in a no-limit poker game against the best player, The Man, which will change his life. Without further ado, let us dive into our detailed ‘The Cincinnati Kid’ movie review.
‘The Cincinnati Kid’ Movie – Plot Summary & Trailer
‘The Cincinnati Kid’ movie transports us back in time to the time of the Great Depression. During the 1930s, many men found themselves playing casino games, including poker. This film is based on ‘The Cincinnati Kid’ 1963 novel by Richard Jessup. Unlike in the book, the movie is set in the vibrant New Orleans. We follow the main character, Eric “The Kid” Stoner, play against The Man, Lancey Howard.
From the beginning, The Kid has incredible poker skills and is already one of the top players around. A great opportunity arises; the poker master, known as The Man, is attending a game in town, so Eric decides to take his chances against the pro. One of Eric’s friends, Shooter, reminds him how he thought he was the best poker player across the globe until Lancey destroyed him in a game.
Despite Shooter’s concerns, a no-limit poker game is arranged between The Kid, The Man, and several other players. Guess who the dealer is – Shooter. Eric does not know that another poker player, Slide, is blackmailing his friend so that Howard can lose. In the meantime, while The Kid’s lovely lady, Christian, is visiting her family, her friend Melba fails to seduce the up-and-coming poker player. Then, Eric decides to spend the day before the biggest game of his life with Christian’s family.
The Kid purposely arrives late to the game. One by one, the players leave the table until it is just The Kid versus The Man. Howard is dealt a few questionably unlucky hands in a row, so Eric calls for a break. The Kid confronts his friend who admits that Slide is setting the match. Things escalate, and the main character threatens to reveal the dealer’s secret if he does not deal straight until the end of the game.
During the break, Melba finally manages to seduce The Kid, but Christian catches them in the act and leaves heartbroken. After that, Slide not so kindly insists that the dealer will continue to deal bad cards to The Man. The Kid declines, despite Slide’s notorious reputation. The game is finally back on, and Eric manages to get the dealer replaced with Lady Fingers. Even after the dealer change, luck is on his side and Howard continues to lose money and confidence.
Tensions rise with each next round. Howard’s final hand is a queen-high straight flush, and Eric has a full house, aces full of tens. Understandably, The Kid is devastated by this, not only because he lost all his money but also an additional $5,000 raise which he called during the last hand. The movie finishes with somewhat of a happy ending; Eric leaves the hotel and runs into Christian, then they hug each other.
‘The Cincinnati Kid’ Cast, Ratings, and More
Award-winning director, Norman Jewison, directed this movie. As we mentioned, the story is based on the 1963 novel with the same name by Richard Jessup. The film script was written by Ring Lardner Jr. and Terry Southern. This was the first major studio project Lander worked on since he was blacklisted as one of The Hollywood Ten (individuals, allegedly involved with the Communist Party).
The main character, Eric ‘The Kid’ Stoner, is played by no other than Steve McQueen. While some argue that the actor was too wrinkled to play the role, we think he is a great fit. In this film, Edward G. Robinson perfectly embodies Lancey ‘The Man’ Howard. The production also features two stunning and beloved actresses – Ann-Margret as Melba, the seductive cheating wife, and Tuesday Weld as Christian, the good-hearted country girl. All in all, we cannot deny that ‘The Cincinnati Kid’ cast is truly remarkable.
| 🌇 Name: | The Cincinnati Kid |
| 📅 Premier Date: | 15th September 1965 |
| 🎭 Genres: | Drama |
| 🎥 Directed by: | Norman Jewison |
| ✍️ Written by: | Ring Lardner Jr. and Terry Southern |
| 🏆 Box Office: | $7 million |
| ⭐Cast: | Steve McQueen, Edward G. Robinson, Ann-Margret, Karl Malden, Tuesday Weld |
| 🎬 Runtime: | 113 minutes |
| 🍿 IMDb Score: | 7.3/10 |
| 🍅 Rottentomatoes Score: | 7.7/10 |
It is no surprise that this movie was well-received given its Hollywood star cast and award-winning director. Many film critics generally wrote positive reviews praising the brilliant work of Norman Jewison and the lively performances by the actors. Even today, ‘The Cincinnati Kid’ scores high on sites like IMDb and Rottentomatoes with an average score of 7/10.
On a separate note, we cannot deny the striking resemblance between The Hustler and ‘The Cincinnati Kid’. Both movies share more or less the same storyline. A small-town gambler with incredible skills moves to the big city to seek fortune. Despite the similarities, we think that ‘The Cincinnati Kid’ has much more to offer as a movie, so it made our ranking of the top 10 gambling movies and TV shows.
‘The Cincinnati Kid’ 1965 – Interesting Facts
Hopefully, you like learning fun movie trivia just as much as we do because it is time for some exciting facts about ‘The Cincinnati Kid’ 1965 film. First, we will start with some trivia about the production. Then, we will chat about the iconic gambling scenes in the movie.
Movie Trivia
Many people thought that Steve McQueen was too old for the role of The Kid. At the time, the actor was 35 years old. But we thought it was suiting, especially considering that Edward G. Robinson was 72 when playing The Man. Moreover, the memorable fighting scene was added because of McQueen’s contract, which stated that he must be featured in an action scene.
Even though ‘The Cincinnati Kid’ cast embodies all the 1930s characters perfectly, there were a few telltale signs that the movie was shot in the 1960s. Firstly, the stunning women are wearing era-appropriate clothing, but their hairstyles are clearly from the 60s. Also, Melba’s stiletto heels were not seen until the 1950s. Plus, there are items in the background like air-conditioners, the 1950s and 1960s cars, even diesel-electric locomotives which do not belong to the Great Depression Era.
Gambling in the Film
Being one of the best poker movies of all time, it should come as no surprise that there is quite a lot of gambling featured in this production. Nowadays, online gamblers are in the unique position of privilege to have available to them a number of great welcome deals available to them as we point out in our online roulette bonus offers dedicated review. For the most part, we witness The Kid show off his incredible poker skills in backroom tables or at private games. But that is not all; this film features sports betting of sorts. The original version has the iconic cockfighting scene, but sadly, it was cut off from the British one.
In the 1931 movie, ‘Smart Money’, Edward G. Robinson plays a poker player. Interestingly, three decades later, he takes the role of professional gambler in ‘The Cincinnati Kid’ where he is dealt the same winning hand. During the match between The Kid and The Man, the two are dealt an exciting hand, the odds of which happening in real-life are slim to none. We strongly recommend those of you itching to test your luck to first check out the top-rated online casino sites for 2024.
Watch ‘The Cincinnati Kid’ Online
Nowadays, we can enjoy hundreds of thousands of Hollywood productions online. However, it might be a bit difficult to find some older titles. Luckily, this movie is beloved by many to this day, which means that you can watch ‘The Cincinnati Kid’ online. Currently, the film is available on the following streaming platforms:
- 🖥️ Amazon Prime Video (Best Streaming Platform for Old Movies)
- 📺 Apple TV (Top Choice for Apple Users)
- 💻 Vudu (Best Digital Video Store and Streaming Service)
- 🍿 FandangoNOW (Top-Rated Up-And-Coming Streaming Platform)
We know, these days, there is a new streaming platform every day. It is perfectly normal not to have an account with each and every streaming service there is out there. Alternatively, you can watch the movie on DVD, if you do not have a subscription with any of the above-mentioned platforms.
Closing Thoughts about the Movie
The time has come for our final verdict about this film. We loved the director’s brilliant work who managed to transfer us back in time to the 1930s. That would not be possible without beloved actors like Steve McQueen, Edward G. Robinson, Ann-Margret, and Tuesday Weld. Some would argue that McQueen was too old for the role of The Kid, but we think that he embodies the character perfectly.
Moreover, the Great Depression-era is nicely conveyed with the décor and costumes, plus the colours were purposely muted to resemble that old vibe. We must say that there are a few minor inaccuracies in terms of the staging and styling that could ruin the 1930s nostalgia. That aside, ‘The Cincinnati Kid’ movie is easily one of the best poker movies of all time and a must-watch for every self-respecting poker player.
Frequently Asked Questions
We hope that our ‘The Cincinnati Kid’ movie review has helped you decide whether or not to watch it. However, we know that there are movie fans among you, so we have prepared a little something extra for you. Below, you can find a list of the most popular questions and answers about this film.
Similar Articles
