User Reviews

In the 1960s Hollywood combined the classic "caper" film with a healthy dose of romantic comedy. The result was a series of charming films such as CHARADE (1963) and HOW TO STEAL A MILLION (1966)--films that combined major stars, clever plots, witty scripts and which balanced suspense with comic and romantic complications.

Made in 1966 and released in 1967, GAMBIT was among the last of these films, and like all others in the genre it had a complex plot. Ahmad Shahbandar (Herbert Lom) is quite possibly the richest man in the world and a recluse to boot, a man who has never gotten over the death of his beautiful Eurasian wife some twenty years ago. Harry Dean (Michael Caine) devises a clever plan to gain access to his luxury apartment and rob him blind: he will use honky-tonk dancer Nicole Chang (Shirley MacLaine), who bears a striking resemblance to Shahbandar's long dead wife, to breach Shahbandar's defenses.

There's only one problem: it won't work. To tell exactly why it won't work is to betray the plot, which is extremely clever; suffice to say that Dean has made a number of incorrect assumptions about both the situation and the personalities involved. When the plot begins to twist, it does so in a truly unexpected way, taking both Dean and the audience completely by surprise.

This is the sort of film that Hollywood used to do so well but which we seldom see today, a frothy, glamorous confection with first rate production values and expert performances from major stars. MacLaine gets top billing, and she is quite fine, but the weight of the film rests on Caine and Lom, who give memorably dry performances, and director Ronald Neame (who was responsible for a host of memorable films including THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE) keeps everything moving along at a smart pace with plenty of style.

This may not be the best of the genre--I think both CHARADE and HOW TO STEAL A MILLION, to name but two, outpace it. But even so it is a perfectly charming film, the perfect antidote to a drab afternoon. Just add popcorn! GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Michael Caine uses flighty Shirley MacLaine to hopefully steal something from Herbert Lom--the richest man in the world.

That's about all you need to know. This is a fun movie--nothing too serious about it. It's very colorful with some beautiful settings and outfits (get the white dress MacLaine wears). The script is sharp and sometimes very funny. MacLaine is full of life and fun in her role--quite an accomplishment since she has nothing to work with. Caine (a great actor) seems strangely muted in his role. Lom is having a fun time with his part. The comedy mixes very well with the action (MacLaine comes off best) and there are some really neat twists and turns at the end (although I saw the last one coming). This isn't an acting film--just a film to sit back with, turn off your brain and enjoy! Strangely this is pretty unknown--I didn't even now it existed till it turned up on TV unannounced! Well worth catching.

I love heist flicks, and this overlooked item delivered the things I like about the best heist flicks: suspense, trickery, a plot twist or two, and humor. This is a dead-on heist/comedy that surprised me with a couple of twists.

I've always been a Michael Caine fan, so naturally I'll tell you that his performance here is up to his high standards. I've never really been a Shirley MacClaine fan, though, so it was a surprise to me that she was so good in her role.

What kind of summary can I give without giving everything away? Harry Dean (Caine) has his sights on some loot, but needs a partner for his scheme. Nicole Chang (MacClaine) turns out to be everything he hoped for. But he didn't count on her being as clever or as alluring as she turns out to be.

8/10

Although perhaps not in the same top-flight league as "Rififi" and "Topkapi," "Gambit" is nevertheless an extremely entertaining heist movie that features consistently fine performances, an amusing and twisty script, and good production values. In this one, Caine hires MacLaine, who is working as a dancehall girl in Hong Kong, to assist him in the purloining of a priceless piece of sculpture, owned by Herbert Lom. This is not your typical heist film, however, and there is a twist right around the first half-hour mark that really had me chuckling out loud...and I'm not an easy person to make laugh out loud at movies, either. MacLaine plays one of her patented loveable kooks in this film, and is ever so appealing. Caine, in his first American production, plays it alternately cool and exasperated. Lom is surprisingly good as Shabhandar, one of the world's wealthiest men; his performance is both urbane and beautifully modulated. Good in smaller parts are two faces that classic "Star Trek" fans will recognize: John Abbott (an Organian) as the French art connoisseur, and Roger "Harry Mudd" Carmel as a hotel clerk. The heist itself is fairly suspenseful and, I suppose, high-tech for its day. Both Caine and MacLaine display surprising derring-do and quick thinking, and toward the finale of the film, the viewer is treated to at least three unexpected twists of plot. "Gambit," thus, offers good suspense, real wit, some romance, colorful locales, and fine acting. It is a real winner. If you're a fan of the heist movie, this one will not disappoint. It's good, light, well-done fun, and infinitely more entertaining than recent, "serious" caper films such as "The Score" and "Heist." Check it out!

In the first 20 minutes of 'Gambit' we witness a perfect heist. A charming crook named Harry (Michael Caine) recruits dancer Nicole (Shirley MacLaine) from a Hong Kong cabaret to lure the rich Shahbandar (Herbert Lom) in order to steal an invaluable statue of an ancient Chinese empress. The face in the statue is strikingly similar to that of Nicole, but also of the magnate's deceased wife. Everything is going perfectly, but something seems to be wrong. Nicole IS SILENT. That is, a heroine played by the assertive Shirley MacLaine not to utter a word? We will quickly understand that this is just about planning a robbery. The real action begins again, in 20 minutes, and this time Nicole not only will speak, but will play the central role in fulfilling Harry's robbery plans.

The 1966 'Gambit' is directed by Ronald Neame, an excellent movie industry professional, who not only was the author of several successful films, but signed the image of many other films, wrote screenplays, was a producer. An encyclopedic film maker we could say. Under his directing, the film has rhythm and humor, combining the genres of films about robberies and scams with an inevitable romantic intrigue. I haven't seen the 2012 remake signed by the Coen brothers, but if we are to trust the rates given by viewers on IMDB, Neame's version is much more successful. The story takes us to the Hong Kong of the '60s, which in the perspective of the past years and of the political changes is a real nostalgic journey, and in an imaginary Asian Muslim country, both presented in a picturesque and authentic way. It is obvious that Ronald Neame knew his job well.

The film belongs to that category of entertainment that was very popular in the 60's, when the world was just opening up to travel. It is true that the images of the international airports where you could drive or wait for passengers at the stairs of the plane seem to be from another world. These films were largely based on an action scenario, relaxed and with humor (there is one!), on exotic landscapes (they are plenty!) and on the charm of the stars in the main roles. The charisma of Shirley MacLaine in the role of the exotic dancer who gives classes from the point of view of culture and good manners to the crook disguised as an English lord played by Michael Caine dominates the film. For her, but not only for her, 'Gambit' deserves to be watched today.

Gambit is a fun but dated caper film starring Michael Caine, Shirley MacLaine and Herbert Lom. The first half of the film is Caine describing the perfect heist. Caine is cool and resourceful, MacLaine is beautiful and silent, Lom who is the mark, is the shifty wealthy Arab.

The second half of the film is the actual heist taking place as they try to steal a priceless sculpture and things do not go according to plan but the film still has a few twists up its sleeve.

MacLaine is miscast as a Eurasian, Lom is less of a villain but a man who is urbane as well as suspicious and knows early on that something is afoot.

It is an enjoyable romp with a lightness of touch.

A brilliantly paced, gripping crime caper, the film has an interesting plot formula, and in general it is quite engaging stuff. Neame's vision of the film involves many close-ups and low camera angles, and this provides an enticing visual style. It is often amusing, with clever ideas, clever sets and wonderful costumes. MacLaine is also very good in an intriguing performance that involves her being silent for the first 25 minutes. So, what can one say against this film? It is a bit silly, a tad overlong, somewhat predictable, and not very deep, but as simple entertainment you cannot find many films better than this. I found it a joy to watch, and Neame's crafting as director can be admired too. It is a great film, even if not a masterpiece, although, for its genre, it could possibly be regarded as a masterpiece.

Gambit (1966)

I love both Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine, and yet I went into the movie with low expectations. Maybe this was partly the dull poster art (which is all I had to go on), or just the fact I had never heard of the movie (and I see a lot of movies from this era).

And it was really good! Yes, a fun, snappy, somewhat contrived but still engaging piece of very 1960s entertainment.

It begins with a narrative trick, which I can't reveal, but the first twenty minutes is a kind of set-up or reference point for the next hour. Once you see it happen, it's a big laugh, and they actors play it out well, though with a slight bit of camp. Caine plays a thief and con man, and MacLaine is just a willing and slightly naive participant. At first.

We are supposed to believe, as well, that these two young charming people are not made for each other (they act disinterested), but the love story becomes a small part of the situation. The third main actor is Herbert Lom, who plays an Arab connected to oil (this is several years before the oil embargo, and more than a decade before the first big Islamic uprising, the one in Iran in 1979). He happens to be the richest man in the world. And a target for this British man looking for easy success.

Easy it is, if only things were what they seemed at first. Brightly lit, photographed with verve and acted with a kind of wink to the camera, the movie is just good fun. This isn't a drama, it's a comedy, and it will brighten your day even if you have to ignore the forced twists in the plot.

Michael Caine had just finished filming the astonishing "Alfie" which is both funny and truly dramatic, and he was proving to be a complex and yet still caddishly likable leading man, very British. Shirley MacLaine (an American) had been making charming funny movies for some time, playing the cute and vulnerable "girl" over and over (as in "The Apartment" best of all, but see "Irma la Douce" too, where she is a prostitute). Together here they are really well matched and hold up the movie start to finish.

Remember to make it through the "set-up" part of the movie, which will at first seem a little stiff. It makes sense later!

Note! Minor plot points to be discussed. Proceed at your own risk.

One of my favourite genres - the caper movie! In most caper movies, the plan goes perfectly, at least until the heist is over. However, this one is probably unique as the careful plans of our chief thief, Michael Caine, keep going horribly horribly wrong, and right from the beginning to boot. Shirley MacLaine as his female accomplice and Herbert Lom as the "unwitting" victim are allowed their full range of intelligence and emotion as move follows countermove and bad descends to worse. The final plot twist at the end preserves a happy ending for everyone. Definitely worth a look, if you can find a copy or its playing late night.

I think you enjoy this movie if you don't know much about it. Fortunately, I did not. It showed up on TCM one night and I was in the mood for a good heist film. It's played dead serious up until a particular point in the film when EVERYTHING shifts. I'll just say this, I started laughing when Shirley MacLaine looked at Michael Caine as if he was crazy. The best way to summarize this film is to paraphrase Robert Burns: "the best laid plans of mice and men...often go awry."

Minor fun featuring Shirley MacLaine as a cabaret dancer who gets a chance to become a key player in a major heist masterminded by thief extraordinaire-wannabe Michael Caine. It has lots of twists and surprises, and it's fun, but the sleek, more serious opening moments prepare you for a totally different picture then the one you eventually get. It seems as though this is going to be classy stuff at first, but it's just a daffy live-action cartoon. Energetic though, and the leads work well together. *** from ****

Michael Caine and Shirley Maclaine star in "Gambit," a 1966 movie done in the style so popular in that era, the "caper" film. Inspired by the success and style of "Charade," the '60s brought us "How to Steal a Million," "Topkapi," "Rififi" et al. - sophisticated, glamorous, international, breezy fun. In "Gambit," Harry (Michael Caine) hires Nicole (Maclaine) to pose as his exotic wife so that he can get into the apartment of the richest man in the world, Shabhandar, played by Herbert Lom. "There's no such thing as the richest man in the world," Nicole complains. "It's like the highest star or - " "Okay, the second richest man in the world, the third richest!" Harry yells. Nicole is made up to resemble Shabhandar's late wife. The purpose: robbery.

Without giving anything away, the beginning of the film is fabulous and draws the viewer in immediately. Caine is a riot as the gifted Harry, who finds that coping with Nicole is one part of the plan he hadn't counted on, and Maclaine is very funny as a performer who gets more involved in her assignment than she wanted to. Herbert Lom, as the first, second, whatever wealthiest man in the world, Shabhandar, is perfect portraying the urbane, suspicious, and calculating recluse.

This isn't the top of the genre, but it's still very enjoyable.

Chief Inspector Dreyfuss of Pink Panther (Herbert Lom) is in here and plays an Arab guy. This movie is a cont. of many of these like Topkapi, Pink Panther, After the Fox stealing treasures of Mid East things probably inspired by the actual famous diamond heist of the Shah in the 50s, in the Mid East, one of the famous heists along with the Great Train Robbery. The sudden romance out of nowhere is dumb in here, crap. The rest of the flick is good. Best parts def. the prep and commencement of Michael Caine in the cat burglary itself.

I just watched this again, after a period of many years; I think that I must have seen it in its original release, and it would have seemed wildly glamorous and exotic at the time. Its always been a favorite of mine; I love it when MacLaine finally opens her mouth and starts talking, and the entire story tilts and veers off in an amusingly different direction.

So very many things could have gone wrong with this production, and MacLaine could have completely overwhelmed it. Miraculously, everything stays in harness and no scenery gets chewed (as opposed to, say, "Topkapi", which although fun goes completely over the top, and where Mercouri lustily devours everything in sight). Caine and MacLaine were both in their early 30's at the time, and MacLaine gets away with photographing much younger. Its one of the earliest of her films where she got top billing; she had been making a series of Hollywood big-budget bombs, and I suspect that this somewhat modest entry kind of redeemed her. Its great straight entertainment.

Light, entertaining heist caper with Michael Caine's Harry Dean recruiting dancer Shirley MacLaine's Nicole Chang to steal billionaire Herbert Lom's Shahbander character's prize possession, a B.C. bust of a beautiful woman's face. Shahbander has many beautiful expensive things but this is the one closest to his heart, given its resemblance to his adored, recently deceased young wife, to whom Nicole bears a striking resemblance. With his artisan partner Emile, cannily played by John Abbotalso in tow, the con is on as Dean uses Nicole as his supposed wife to at first help him gain the trust of the debonair Shahbander and then distract him while he seeks to use his cat burglar skills to outwit the high-tech security system in place to protect the statuette.

Set in the Far East, giving the look of the film a degree of exoticism, accompanied by a playful, jaunty soundtrack setting the appropriate tone and with Caine and MacLaine coasting through their parts, this isn't a film to take seriously. The best part is the unusual lengthy flash-forward as opposed to flashback sequence where Dean attempts to show Nicole just how easy the job is going to be, but of course that proves not to be the case as subsequent events play out.

In the end, nobody loses and everybody wins which only serves to further reduce the dramatic tension but directed with some verve by Ronald Neame and with confident and assured playing by Caine, adopting his broadest London accent throughout, MacLaine as the not-so-dumb accomplice and Lom as the one-step-ahead urbane mark, this is enjoyable if lightweight 60's entertainment, which, rather like the little statue at its centre, is perhaps best not examined too closely.

Nicole Chang (Shirley MacLaine) is a Hong Kong nightclub dancer. Harry Dean (Michael Caine) hires her to do a job. He plans to rob the wealthy recluse Ahmad Shahbandar (Herbert Lom). His late wife resembled Nicole and with a makeover, she becomes an exact copy posing as Harry's wife.

The movie starts with a long fake out. It does throw the movie off in a strange mood as essentially it redoes the first act. I actually love the real Nicole Chang. The relationship between her and Harry is much more complicated. I really don't like it at first but then the movie does the standard rom-com love-hate move. These two great actors almost sold me on this pairing but in the end, it's a little too hard. The caper has plenty of twists and it's pretty good. There are a couple of unusual elements in this movie that keeps me from truly loving it.

Nicole (Shirley MacLaine) works as a dancer is some shabby night club in Hong Kong. She is approached by Harry Dean (Michael Caine), a young cockney thief, who has thought out a brilliant plan to steal an invaluable piece of sculpture. The trick is that Nicole happens to be a spitten image of the late, beloved wife of multimillionaire Ahmad Shahbandar (Herbert Lom) who owns the sculpture.

"Gambit" is a consistently entertaining crime comedy with engaging performances from the principal actors. MacLaine in particular is rather impressive as the beautiful accomplice who keeps making difficult questions but can also be quite resourceful when needed. The plot contains a couple of neat twists and Ronald Neame's direction leaves no dead moments in the film. Also features a pleasing score by Maurice Jarre.

Gambit is a light, breezy, humorous take on the heist genre that's uneven and a bit half-baked, but overall satisfying. Shirley MacLaine and Michael Caine lend enough star-power and terrific acting to make this worthwhile, but I'm not sure it would have stood on its own otherwise.

The story is Caine is a thief and a conman and he recruits MacLaine in a night club to help him on a heist because she resembles the deceased wife of his current target. Neither MacLaine nor Caine are what they seem at first and this leads to plot twists and surprises aplenty. It's fun seeing their characters reveal themselves through the film.

Unfortunately, when all is revealed it's only somewhat satisfying. The inevitable romance aspect is very under-cooked and feels a bit thrown together in service of the plot when it happens. Also, MacLaine's character turns aren't explained through the film and, I think, were leaning on her Hollywood stardom to explain. She suddenly transforms from a flighty airhead to being knowledgeable about art, for example. This initially made me wonder if she was pulling a fast one on Caine, but no, the sudden appearance of her poised, sophisticated and crafty side is never explained. It just happens.

Despite these flaws, I was still very entertained.

Cor blighmy. Michael Caine is sure good at nicking stuff

This is a fine film for all viewers to watch. It could have been a bit better but it was great. The crew did an alright job in creating this film. I thought that the storyline was a bit straightforward. The cast selection was great. They strongly connected to their respective characters. Michael Caine was a terrific fit for his character role.

This film reveals to viewers that trust is a dangerous thing. I have learned from myself that it is best to not trust anyone including yourself. It is safer and it is the only way to pass through life. No one can live through life trusting people. It can lead to consequences. This is a fine film for everyone to watch.

Gambit is quite funny and entertaining. Especially at the start when Caine's character is outlining his plan which in his head goes perfectly (not so in real life!). It's a pretty good heist comedy type film and I would suggest it.

8/10: Funny and witty

MICHAEL CAINE was hot after appearing in THE IPCRESS FILE and SHIRLEY MacLAINE grabbed him for her leading man in GAMBIT. It's a highly entertaining and very clever crime caper and is Caine's first American film. It benefits from highly polished production values and Ronald Neame's expert direction, not to mention a story that has several unexpected twists.

Aside from excellent performances by the two stars and Herbert Lom as the intended victim, the plot will keep you guessing until the final moments. Shirley is a knockout in her oriental disguise and delivers a wonderful performance as the girl who discovers she prefers an honest man to a thief, no matter how much she let herself be tricked into the role of a charming look-alike for Herbert Lom's former wife. The trick is to get into his lavish digs so she and Michael can see the layout and devise a plan to steal a prized sculpture. Herbert Lom is urbane and sophisticated as a man who is highly suspicious of his new acquaintances.

If you like crime capers or jewel heists, this is for you. Diverting from start to finish with a particularly good opening sequence that sort of sets you up for a different kind of film than this actually is. But saying more than that would give too much away.

My only complaint--Maurice Jarre's score is a skimpy one. He provides some light and catchy melodies for the lighter scenes but fails to deliver the goods for the film's darker moments. Maybe he figured the audience would just be holding their breath while silence accompanied the cat-like burglar approach rather than music. Whatever, the darker moments would have been heightened by a more suspenseful score.

John Abbott is seen to advantage as a French sculptor devoted to his art.