The Gambler (1980)

Overrated and overhyped

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

I admit that it's pretty lame when the title of your movie is literally the actor as the title role. I am not going to see the other films in this series simply because they're too long and I didn't like this enough to see the other installments. I do like the environment this movie sets up. Everything is pretty interesting to look at and Kenny Rogers plays a good, well, gambler. It's strange how he is in fact given a name in the movie, Brady. I had to see this movie because according to Poobala's crossover website, the film series connects eight Westerns together! Yes, according to him, the films put together feature characters and elements from "Bat Masterson", "Cheyenne", "Have Gun Will Travel", "Kung Fu", "The Life And Legend Of Wyatt Earp", "Maverick", "The Rifleman", and "The Westerner"! This movie only features those from "The Rifleman", "The Life And Legend Of Wyatt Earp", and "Cheyenne". It really is a pity that there weren't any characters from "Gunsmoke", easily the most famous of all these Westerns. I never grew up watching ANY of these shows. Honestly, I don't even think the Laff A Lympics brought together eight shows! This has more links than anything else on Poobala's website. While I just found this passable, I really do admire this series featuring characters from nearly every popular Western of the 1950's and 1960's. I know I'd get a lot of facts wrong if I went into further detail. While it's too bad I'm not familiar with any of these shows, if you are, then check this out! **1/2

Based on the #1 1978 song, Kenny Rogers As The Gambler is about Brady Hawkes, the titular gambler, and a young wanna-be named Billy Montana. Brady receives a letter from his son. His mother's remarried and his stepfather's beating the tar out of him. The Gambler has a son? Wait a minute! THAT wasn't in the song! That's right. It wasn't. Why? The song was a two-minute short story. The movie, which aired on CBS, was two hours long. According to the summary. 94 minutes. That's without the ads. Who remembers what they were advertising on television back in 1980? RCA, Zenith, Chrysler, Ford. and General Motors, to name a few, The others? Who knows? On the way to see his son, Brady and Billy meet Eliza, a prostitute, who rides in Charles Strobridge's private rail car. The movie's probably set between 1875 and 1880. Where? Probably somewhere in the Southwest. The song says "On a warm summer's evening on a train bound for Nowhere..." So my guess it's probably set in Arizona. There's actually city called Nowhere. We don't know. Would we like to? Maybe, maybe not. It could be anywhere in the Old West.

Considering that this is a made-for-TV Western starring terminally bland and innocuous middle-of-the-road lounge lizard country crooner Kenny Rogers in the lead, I naturally had low expectations about this one. Well, my dire predictions about this picture turned out to be wrong. This feature ain't half bad. Sure, it's no masterpiece, but it's a most acceptable and enjoyable telepic oater inspired by the marvelously atmospheric hit tune. Rogers acquits himself with reasonable assurance and aptitude as wily, weary, worn-out, but still agile and astute itinerant poker player par excellence Brady Hawkes. Bruce Boxleitner is equally personable as Billy Montana, a flashy, cocky, wet-behind-the-ears aspiring gambler Hawkes befriends. Jim Byrnes' hackneyed, by-the-numbers script offers no unusual or surprising plot developments, but fortunately Dick Lowry's competent direction, Larry Cansler's robust, rousing, flavorsome score, and Joseph Biroc's handsome cinematography compensate for the trite story. The top-rate cast qualifies as another major asset: Harold Gould as a powerful, arrogant railroad baron, Christine Belford as Rogers' neglected, estranged wife, Lee Purcell as a plucky former lowly whore turned proud high society lady, Lance LeGault as a cunning, but honorable card sharp, and Clu Gulager as a mean, grasping brute with a secret grudge against Rogers. A subplot involving Rogers bonding with his long ignored son is handled with commendable tact and restraint, while the inevitable big stakes poker game finale delivers the tense thrills something nice. A sizable ratings smash, this film was followed by several sequels of varying quality.

This vehicle for Kenny Rogers has a warm avuncular charm. Rogers is not much of an actor, but he's mainly called upon to lend his considerable atmospheric presence to scenes in which others do (or attempt to do) the heavy lifting. And he's good at that: he doesn't chew scenery, he doesn't attempt moments of deep emotion, but his presence keeps the lightweight script from becoming an embarrassment.The movie is unabashedly sentimental, like a good country song. Plot elements are formulaic, but successful enough, and the direction shows a sure touch, never letting the movie get either maudlin or silly.A must-see for the Eight-Track-Tape crowd, but not a bad choice for those who just like a little unchallenging fluff now and again.