Director: Michael Hoffman
Cast: Colin Firth, Cameron Diaz, Alan Rickman, and Stanley Tucci
Running Time: 89 mins
Certificate: 12A
Synopsis: Harry Deane (Firth) is an art curator who is tired of his boss’ abusive ways. In order to taste sweet revenge, he decides to try and con him into buying a fake Monet, but first he must acquire the help of a wild, hog-tying Texan gal, in the form of PJ Puznowski (Diaz).
GAMBIT is a re-imagining of the 1966 film of the same name, which starred Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine. It is an old-fashioned British comedy caper, that boasts lightning quick wit, much of which contains subtle callbacks and misunderstandings; keeping the audience on its toes almost constantly. The culture clash between Deane (a buttoned down British intellectual) and his gambit, Puznowski also produces moments of engaging – quintessentially British – awkwardness, which is further stoked by the introduction of Lord Lionel Shabander (Rickman). Shabander is the antagonist of the piece, and the most commanding character. His self-perceived infallibility, and tendency to don his birthday suit without hesitation, makes for a winning comedic formula.
Hoffman, who helmed the production, doesn’t do much to revolutionise the art of filmmaking, but he undoubtedly succeeds in telling the story in a seamless fashion, allowing the characters and narrative to take precedence over fancy camerawork. His previous undertakings have seen him collaborate with the likes of Helen Mirren, Christopher Plummer and Paul Giammati, and it is clear from the natural leading performances in GAMBIT why he garners such respect from the acting elite.
The fast pace of the storytelling is complemented by the Mancini-esque score, which together with the style, closely resembles the tone of classics such as THE PINK PANTHER (1964), but maintains its own authoritative originality. Rolfe Kent, who has written music for many well-received films in the past, including SIDEWAYS (2004) and THANK YOU FOR SMOKING (2005), composed the soundtrack, and proves he is worth his salt once more, by adding nuanced layers of atmosphere to the film.
The only gripe with the narrative is the conclusion, which is slightly underwhelming. If conceived by screenwriters of a lesser ilk, it might even be considered decent, but when you know what the Coen brothers are capable of, you can’t help but feel it could and should have been more.
However, a slightly disappointing finale does little to detract from the many positives emanating from GAMBIT. The performances, characters, score and writing (on the whole) ensure a genuinely amusing experience, and does more than enough to keep the Coen boat of adulation afloat.
GAMBIT is released in the UK 21st November. A US release date is yet to be announced.
