Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Gambit Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 25, 2022

Ronald Neame's "Gambit" (1966) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include archival audio commentary by the director; exclusive new audio commentary recorded by critics Howard S. Berger, Nathaniel Thompson, and Sergio Mims; and vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked"

She is perfect for the job.

If they don’t have the girl with the right look, they can’t do the job. They need her to draw their super-rich target out of his lair and force him to initiate contact with them. This is the key phase of their plan -- placing the right bait at the right location.

In a lousy nightclub somewhere in Hong Kong, Harry (Michael Caine) and Emile (John Abbott) spot what they have been looking for -- Nicole (Shirley MacLaine), a dancer, who looks like a twin sister of Shahbandar’s (Herbert Lom) late wife. After she is done performing her act, they invite her to their table and Harry asks if she is interested in earning $5,000. American, not Hong Kong dollars. Nicole appears intrigued, so they give her a quick rundown of the most perfect heist ever planned.

But immediately after they land in the oil-rich country of Dammuz, where the world’s shyest billionaire resides, Harry and Emile are forced to begin improvising. First, Harry has to bribe their way through customs, then instead of being picked up by their target’s personal Rolls-Royce, they get a ride in a smelly taxi. In the hotel, Harry has to do a bit of acting to make it painfully obvious that he and Nicole aren’t just ordinary tourists as well. Thankfully, the ‘stuffy Englishman’ trick works, so by the time they reach their room one of the target’s lackeys declares before him that he has just witnessed a true miracle.

Just as planned by Harry, Shahbandar offers to meet him and his ‘lovely wife’ Nicole, but while having lunch, not dinner. A small change, no biggie. While Emile waits for them in a different part of town, Harry and Nicole are then transported to Shahbandar’s luxury yacht and treated to some of Dammuz’s greatest dishes and wine. At the end of their encounter, again as planned by Harry, after a casual request Shahbandar agrees to show them the large art collection he has in his heavily guarded apartment, including the priceless bust of his one and only love, the late Empress Lissu. Since Harry has a long night of important phone calls ahead of him, the kind host then offers to give Nicole an unforgettable tour of the real Dammuz. What a shame that Harry can’t join them, but he really does have some very serious business to attend to. Shortly after the three exit the apartment, Harry meets Emile and they initiate the second phase of their plan -- stealing the priceless bust.

Viewers who have seen a fair number of classic capers will not be surprised by any of the twists in Ronald Neame’s Gambit. But even though it is very easy to tell where Gambit is heading and how it will get there, there is still a lot of quality entertainment in it.

The main reason Gambit works is the chemistry between its characters. It is a cliched explanation, but it is true. All of the memorable fireworks emerge from the special ways in which Caine, MacLaine, and Lom connect before the camera and leave the impression that their characters are indeed engaged in a tricky battle of wits. There is a genuine lightness in their performances that is very attractive and the humor that flourishes because of it provides the film with its charm. Everything else, from the action to the lavish sets and exotic decors and costumes, is instantly forgettable. (Excluding the short bits from Hong Kong, the entire heist was staged on location in California).

Neame’s direction can be best described as competent. The film looks good and it is very easy to tell that virtually every sequence in it was shot in the most efficient way possible. In some of the bigger classic capers from the same era, like Topkapi for instance, there is more movement that brings a sense of spontaneity which isn’t present here. This shouldn’t be considered a flaw, but it is impossible not to point out whenever the film is compared to some of its counterparts.

*If you enjoy a good caper, consider picking up a copy of Bryan Forbes' Deadfall. It comes from the same era and Caine again plays a thief with a plan who must work with a beautiful assistant but has a much deeper bag of tricks. Also, it is a very, very stylish film.

Gambit Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Gambit arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from a new 4K master that was prepared at Universal Studios. I think that the makeover is outstanding and to be honest am somewhat disappointed that this Blu-ray release isn't a 4K Blu-ray release. Why? Because even while the opening credits roll on the screen it is already crystal-clear that as good as the film looks in 1080p, it would undoubtedly look better, most likely stunning in native 4K. It is not just the solid organic appearance of the visuals that impresses, but the manner in which the new master is graded as well. Indeed, on my system the balance looked terrific, so the transitions between the daylight and indoor/nighttime footage was mightily impressive. However, realize that in native 4K the saturation levels would be even superior. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. The entire film looks spotless as well. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Gambit Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I did not encounter any age-related imperfections. Clarity, sharpness, and stability were excellent. While it does not produce any memorable contrasts, Maurice Jarre's soundtrack sounded quite good as well. Since the film was recently restored in 4K, I think it is fair to assume that all meaningful optimizations have been done to ensure top quality. I mention this in case you are wondering whether there is any room for improvement.

Gambit Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for Gambit. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Commentary One - this archival commentary, director Ronald Neame recalls what it was like to work with Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine in Hollywood, and discusses some changes that were made in the first version of the original screenplay (and specifically MacLaine's silence during the recreation of the heist), the editing of the film, etc. There are some quite interesting comments about the fate of The Poseidon Adventure as well. The commentary is moderated by David Gregory, formerly of Severin Films.

• Commentary Two - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Howard S. Berger, Nathaniel Thompson, and Sergio Mims.

• Cover - reversible cover with vintage poster art for Gambit.

Gambit Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If I had to choose between Gambit and Deadfall, I would instantly declare the latter a superior caper. However, even though they come from the same period and set out to entertain in very similar ways, they are effective for different reasons. Deadfall is the twistier and more stylish of the two, but Gambit has a wonderful vintage patina. Michael Caine is a very fine thief in both, so during the DVD era I had permanent spots for them in my library. Kino Lorber's release of Gambit is sourced from a wonderful recent 4K master that was prepared at Universal Studios. Also, it includes the excellent archival commentary David Gregory recorded with director Ronald Neame some years ago. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.