An up-and-coming poker player tries to prove himself in a high-stakes match against a long-time master of the game.An up-and-coming poker player tries to prove himself in a high-stakes match against a long-time master of the game.An up-and-coming poker player tries to prove himself in a high-stakes match against a long-time master of the game.
- Awards
- 1 win & 2 nominations
Theodore Marcuse
- Felix
- (as Theo Marcuse)
Émile Genest
- Cajun
- (as Emile Genest)
- Directors
- Norman Jewison
- Sam Peckinpah(fired after one week shooting) (uncredited)
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaEdward G. Robinson wrote in his autobiography, "In the film I played Lancey Howard, the reigning champ of the stud poker tables...I could hardly say I identified with Lancey; I was Lancey. That man on the screen, more than in any other picture I ever made, was Edward G. Robinson with great patches of Emanuel Goldenberg [his real name] showing through. He was all cold and discerning and unflappable on the exterior; he was ageing and full of self-doubt on the inside....Even the final session of the poker game was real...I played that game as if it were for blood. It was one of the best performances I ever gave on stage or screen or radio or TV, and the reason for it is that is wasn't a performance at all; it was symbolically the playing out of my whole gamble with life."
- GoofsThe film is set in the 1930s, but the women sport obvious 1960s hairstyles.
- Quotes
Lancey Howard: [to Cincinnati Kid] You're good, kid, but as long as I'm around, you're only second best.
- Alternate versionsIn 2005, the BBFC cut this release further compared to the previous 1993 edits. UK cinema release in 1970 and early video versions were cut by 38 seconds to a scene featuring a cockfight (scenes involving cockfights are always cut by the BBFC). The 2005 wide-screen version substituted some scenes though the cuts were lengthened to 1 min 4 secs.
- ConnectionsEdited into Ann-Margret: Från Valsjöbyn till Hollywood (2014)
- SoundtracksThe Cincinnati Kid
Music by Lalo Schifrin
Lyrics by Dorcas Cochran
Theme song of "The Cincinnati Kid"
Sung by Ray Charles
Featured review
People will sit down at the table with you, just so they can say they played with The Man
Blah blah blah is the feelings I get when I see comments about this being McQueen's answer to The Hustler, the Newman film is firmly ensconced in the hall of classics and rightly so, but this is a different animal that stands up on its own two feet as a great film regardless of comparisons of leading men or films they respectively delivered.
"It's a pleasure to meet someone who understands that to the true gambler, money is never an end in itself, it's simply a tool, as a language is to thought"
Steve McQueen is The Cincinnati Kid of the title, a young man who has an enviable reputation as the pretender to the throne of the king stud poker player. Standing in his way of claiming the crown is the holder of said crown, Lancey "The Man" Howard (a wonderfully sedate yet dominant Edward G. Robinson), both men are in New Orleans for the big showdown across the card table.
The film does suffer slightly from a meandering script, though, because you can't help feeling that there is so much more to these characters that needed fleshing out before the big tense showdown arises. However, the cast and director manage to stere the film home with a glorious final third. Suspense and drama start to boil to the surface, the tight knit editing bringing claustrophobic clarity to the enormity of the game.
McQueen is perfect here, cocky and cool in equal measure, yet still infusing the role with stoic heart and honest endearment. Tuesday Weld & Ann-Margret are playing second fiddle in the acting stakes to a delightful turn from Joan Blondell (a little under used though), but both Weld and Margret bring their respective girls' traits to life, with Margret positively smouldering with femme fatale sex appeal.
Karl Malden is solid and safe, whilst Rip Torn gives an acting lesson in dialogue driven menace. Yet in all honesty it's director Norman Jewison who has the trump card here. Once the game commences, even those who know nothing about a good game of poker are firmly watching every frame, such is the intense way that Jewison has brought the finale together.
No cop outs here, a film about egos, ambitions and personal satisfaction is gloriously laid out for a very enjoyable viewing experience. 8/10
"It's a pleasure to meet someone who understands that to the true gambler, money is never an end in itself, it's simply a tool, as a language is to thought"
Steve McQueen is The Cincinnati Kid of the title, a young man who has an enviable reputation as the pretender to the throne of the king stud poker player. Standing in his way of claiming the crown is the holder of said crown, Lancey "The Man" Howard (a wonderfully sedate yet dominant Edward G. Robinson), both men are in New Orleans for the big showdown across the card table.
The film does suffer slightly from a meandering script, though, because you can't help feeling that there is so much more to these characters that needed fleshing out before the big tense showdown arises. However, the cast and director manage to stere the film home with a glorious final third. Suspense and drama start to boil to the surface, the tight knit editing bringing claustrophobic clarity to the enormity of the game.
McQueen is perfect here, cocky and cool in equal measure, yet still infusing the role with stoic heart and honest endearment. Tuesday Weld & Ann-Margret are playing second fiddle in the acting stakes to a delightful turn from Joan Blondell (a little under used though), but both Weld and Margret bring their respective girls' traits to life, with Margret positively smouldering with femme fatale sex appeal.
Karl Malden is solid and safe, whilst Rip Torn gives an acting lesson in dialogue driven menace. Yet in all honesty it's director Norman Jewison who has the trump card here. Once the game commences, even those who know nothing about a good game of poker are firmly watching every frame, such is the intense way that Jewison has brought the finale together.
No cop outs here, a film about egos, ambitions and personal satisfaction is gloriously laid out for a very enjoyable viewing experience. 8/10
Helpful•181
- hitchcockthelegend
- Mar 3, 2008
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Details
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $15,260,000
- Runtime1 hour 42 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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