Plot: What’s it about?
Gambit (a remake of the 1966 film of the same name) stars Colin Firth as Harry Deane. He’s an art curator who decides to con his boss Lionel Shahbandar (Alan Rickman) by selling a fake Monet. In doing so, he enlists the help of a Texas rodeo queen played PJ (Cameron Diaz) and a forger known as Major (Tom Courtenay). Of course, things become more complicated, but the intricate details of the plot hardly matter in a film like this. It’s best to just watch it for the lightheartedness and let the plot work itself out on its own. Joel and Ethan Coen wrote the screenplay, but Michael Hoffman is the director here. You have to wonder how much better the final product might’ve been had the brothers directed this too. I wasn’t especially involved with the story like I thought I would be. I think part of the problem is that it needed a bit of a boost, at least in the pacing department. It’s fair too lax when it should have more zip. The Coens likely could’ve added their unique touch and things might’ve fared better.
I admit that I went into this film blind, so to speak. I came across it randomly and figured I’d give it a shot. You never know when you might mistakenly discover a hidden gem. The film begins promisingly with animated opening credits (similar to the Pink Panther films), but sadly, that level of fun isn’t consistent throughout the film. It does have its moments, however. I just wish there were more of them. There are a couple of fun running gags and a funny scene where Harry is forced outside of a hotel room and he looses his pants by accident and is forced back inside. The cast all seem to be having a good time, but Diaz started to annoy me after a while with her heavy southern twang. Her character really isn’t given much to do either. Still, the film has enough qualities to warrant a look, but don’t set your expectations too high and you should walk away feeling as if you haven’t wasted your time. It makes me want to seek out the original and see how it all plays out.
Video: How’s it look?
While not an especially flashy film, this transfer is still quite satisfying. Colors are all spot-on and well rendered and details always strong. The film shifts locations quite often and that keeps things a bit fresh in terms of visuals. Background shots show nice clarity and the film has an animated opening that also appears strong. The image is AVC encoded with a 2.35:1 ratio. The print is also clean as it should be for such a recent film. This will satisfy fans.
Audio: How’s it sound?
The DTS HD track serves the film well, but don’t expect many moments to jump at you. It’s just not that sort of film, but it does the best with what it’s got. There are occasional moments where the rear channels kick in, but mostly this is a front loaded affair. Like the film, the track gets the job done, but it doesn’t make a huge impression.
Supplements: What are the extras?
- Digital Copy
- Previews
