Product: The Big Town [VHS] (1987)
Rating: 3.0
BIG TOWN(Not a particuraly big movie.)
I first saw this film in the theatre when it was first released and I liked it.I was glad to find it on DVD from Amazon.It's a period piece set in that almost mystical time when Ike was President,but Elvis was King!The action occurs in Chicago,the big town of the title.And it tries to do for crapshooting what THE HUSTLER and THE CINCINNATI KID did for pool and stud poker.It didn't quite work.The sets and costumes capture the period.The soundtrack with the music from the likes of Johnny Cash and Little Willie John is spot on.The acting is more than good.And the heat between the leads Matt Dillon and Diane Lane is electric.The film's weakness is the subject itself.There's just nothing exciting about watching a crap game if you're not in it.Especially when the player you're watching never seems to miss a pass.Still this a pretty good retro movie.Just not a great one.