IMDb > The Big Town (1987)

The Big Town (1987) More at IMDbPro »

Overview

User Rating:
5.7/10   759 votes
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Director:
Ben Bolt
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Writers:
Clark Howard (novel)
Robert Roy Pool (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Big Town on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
25 September 1987 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | Romance | Thriller more
Tagline:
When things get hot, people get burned . . . bet on it! (Video Australia) more
Plot:
It is 1957. J.C. Cullen is a young man from a small town, with a talent for winning at craps, who leaves... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
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User Comments:
"You're good, kid, but as long as I'm around you're second best. You might as well learn to live with it." Lansey Howard more (13 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Matt Dillon ... J.C. Cullen

Diane Lane ... Lorry Dane

Tommy Lee Jones ... George Cole
Bruce Dern ... Mr. Edwards
Lee Grant ... Ferguson Edwards

Tom Skerritt ... Phil Carpenter

Suzy Amis ... Aggie Donaldson
David Marshall Grant ... Sonny Binkley
Don Francks ... Carl Hooker
Del Close ... Deacon Daniels
Meg Hogarth ... Dorothy Cullen
Cherry Jones ... Ginger McDonald

Alvaro D'Antonio ... Prager (as Mark Danton)

David James Elliott ... Cool Guy (as David Elliott)
Steve Yorke ... Garage Boy
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
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Runtime:
109 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Stereo
Certification:
Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | USA:R | West Germany:16 | Canada:R | Iceland:14
Filming Locations:
Chicago, Illinois, USA more
Company:
Albacore Productions Inc. more

Fun Stuff

Goofs:
Audio/visual unsynchronized: The sound of dice rolling after Cole announces their total. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Ha-Kluv (1989) more
Soundtrack:
GOODNIGHT MY LOVE (PLEASANT DREAMS) more

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
"You're good, kid, but as long as I'm around you're second best. You might as well learn to live with it." Lansey Howard, 3 June 2007
5/10
Author: bill-987 from United States

I could easily have imagined that this film was a hastily slapped together attempt to capitalize on the success of the "Cincinnati Kid". Grab a bunch of talent the likes of Dianne Lane, Tommy Lee Jones, Matt Dillon, and Bruce Dern, and Tom Skerritt, take away the card table and substitute a crap table and go collect your receipts. The only problems with this scenario are that the films are 22 years apart and that this a poorly slapped together effort. Oh yeah, and they're both remakes of a true classic. I suppose you could say the concept was used one other time between "Kid" and "Big Town" with "The Color of Money", but I categorize that as a sequel.

It's the story of a young gambler (Newman – McQueen – Dillon) whose prodigious talent motivates his departure from small town small time to take on the best members of their calling. He risks losing his loyal true love (Laurie – Weld – Amis) in the pursuit of his dream, falls into the clutches of an evil influence (Scott – Ann-Margret – Lane), and learns a lesson from the older, wiser (Gleason – Robinson – Skerritt) whatever.

Out front I must confess that Dianne Lane is one of my all time favorite actresses although I don't always like all her roles. In this film, however, she is the perfect amoral opportunistic little whore. In "Cincinnati" Edward G. Robinson's Lancey Howard comes very close to equaling Jackie Gleason's performance as Minnesota Fats, but Gleason's is simply perfect.

I'm sure I'll see this film again just to see a 22 year-old Lane naked, and I'm a big Steve McQueen fan, but I'll take "The Hustler" every time.

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