All the town is excited as four wealthy gamblers arrive to play high stakes poker. Two of them are cattleman Henry Drummond (Jason Robards) and lawyer Otto Habershaw (Kevin McCarthy). Settler Meredith (Henry Fonda), his wife Mary (Joanne Woodward), and their young son Jackie are passing through on the way to San Antonio. He's a recovering gambler drawn to the game. He promises only to watch but once inside, he gets drawn into the game.
I love the premise and the execution except for two points. First, I'd get rid of the wedding or put that part up front as a comedic bit. Robards getting frustrated with the wedding fiasco and running out to play the game could be a fun opening. After the game, it's more filler than effective drama. The audience is waiting for the family's reunion to close the movie. Second is the flash of the hand inside the bank. I'm assuming that it's meant to be blurry to suggest to the film audience but it's clear enough to know what it is. It's better not to know or even guess at the hand. That would have been a great reveal if the film doesn't flash the hand. I understand what the filmmaker is trying to do but I think he's wrong. It's an opinion but I think I'm right. It's a great contained film.
I love the premise and the execution except for two points. First, I'd get rid of the wedding or put that part up front as a comedic bit. Robards getting frustrated with the wedding fiasco and running out to play the game could be a fun opening. After the game, it's more filler than effective drama. The audience is waiting for the family's reunion to close the movie. Second is the flash of the hand inside the bank. I'm assuming that it's meant to be blurry to suggest to the film audience but it's clear enough to know what it is. It's better not to know or even guess at the hand. That would have been a great reveal if the film doesn't flash the hand. I understand what the filmmaker is trying to do but I think he's wrong. It's an opinion but I think I'm right. It's a great contained film.