Our take
At first glance, Atlantic City is indistinguishable from most other crime films. It’s led by a charming gangster (Burt Lancaster) who falls for a beautiful woman (Susan Sarandon) half his age. They look good together and spend their blood money lavishly. But this coolness is deceptive. It eventually gives way to desperation and delusion as the characters prove to be more naive than they let on. Atlantic City could’ve easily been a farce or a failed mob drama; instead, it’s a crime film given heft by the film’s honesty about its characters’ pathetic circumstances. Director Louis Malle (Au Revoir Les Enfants, My Dinner with Andre) is juggling plenty of things here, but he makes it work, as do Lancaster, Sarandon, and their believable chemistry.
What it won
Oscars
5 noms
Venice
1 win
Golden Globes
3 noms
BAFTA
2 wins · 2 noms
DGA
1 nom
WGA
1 nom
Nat. Board of Review
1 win
NYFCC
2 wins · 2 noms
LAFCA
4 wins
César Awards
2 noms
The story
In a corrupt city, a small-time gangster and the estranged wife of a pot dealer find themselves thrown together in an escapade of love, money, drugs and danger.
Elsewhere
"Lancaster uses his big, strong body so expressively that if this were a stage performance the audience would probably give him a standing ovation. I don’t see how he could be any better."
— Pauline Kael
"Film is blessed with a spare, intriguing script by Yank John Guare, which always skirts impending cliches and predictability by finding unusual facets in his characters and their actions."
— Variety Staff
In New Jersey’s Atlantic City, a former mobster and a waitress cross paths when the latter’s husband attempts to sell stolen drugs in the area.
The fantasy-like quality surrounding Atlantic City.
Burt Lancaster at 67 has more aura than most young actors in this generation.
Streaming arrival
Who picked it
Renee Cuisia is the lead curator at A Good Movie to Watch. In her spare time, she likes to watch K-dramas and analyze them to death. She's also seen You've Got Mail one too many times but is still convinced it's one of the greatest films out there.
