Atlantic City
~Louis Malle ~ 1980 ~ 1h. 44m. ~
Dir. Louis Malle
R | 1h 44min | Crime, Drama, Romance | 1980
“The Atlantic Ocean was somethin' then. Yes, you should have seen the Atlantic Ocean in those days....They used to call Atlantic City 'The Lungs of Philadelphia.”
In 1976, New Jersey lawmakers passed a gambling referendum that would transform the Atlantic City Boardwalk. Amidst that rapid redevelopment, French filmmaker, Louis Malle, began filming for Atlantic City.
The plot follows Sally Matthews--a waitress with dreams of becoming a blackjack croupier. Her neighbor, Lou Pascal, is an aging, small-time crook. When Sally’s estranged husband arrives with cocaine stolen from the Philadelphia mob, their lives become intertwined.
Atlantic City is a slower, more poetic kind of crime-thriller that will appeal to fans of French cinema and Scorcese alike. Sally and Lou are reflections of the city itself: each paving their regrets with naive optimism. The failure of Trump’s casino empire has only made this metaphor all the more effective.
As seen by: Spencer Dick
09.1.2020