Gambit
2012 · United States, United Kingdom · 89 min
- Director
- Michael Hoffman
- Screenplay
- Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
- Producer
- Rob Paris
- Music
- Rolfe Kent
- Cinematography
- Florian Ballhaus
What the critics say
18 % Rotten Tomatoes positive reviewsCast
What it is about
Harry Deane, a British art curator, wants revenge on his abusive boss, the billionaire Lord Shabandar. He devises a con: with the help of a master art forger known as the Major and PJ Puznowski, an eccentric Texas rodeo queen, he plans to trick Shabandar into buying a fake Monet. The scheme looks straightforward on paper, but every step depends on other people behaving as Harry expects, and complications soon begin to surface.
How it was made
The film is a remake of Gambit, the 1966 comedy starring Shirley MacLaine and Michael Caine. The idea was discussed in Hollywood for years, with several writers, directors and financiers attached at different points, and a number of versions stalled. Joel and Ethan Coen eventually rewrote the screenplay and moved the story to the United States, and the project was taken up by Crime Scene Pictures. Michael Hoffman directed, with Florian Ballhaus as cinematographer and Rolfe Kent composing the score. The cast includes Colin Firth, Cameron Diaz, Alan Rickman and Stanley Tucci.
Reception and legacy
The film premiered at the Empire Leicester Square in London in November 2012 and reached British cinemas later that month through Momentum Pictures. In the United States it received a limited theatrical release and video on demand in April 2014 via CBS Films. The sources I consulted do not include information on its critical reception or awards, so I cannot say with confidence how it was received.
Stills
Trailer
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Trivia
A script written with another actor in mind
The Coens wrote the screenplay with Hugh Grant in mind. According to the sources, Grant chose not to take part shortly after receiving the finished script.
A producer who admired the original
Mike Lobell saw the 1966 version at its London premiere and, years later, was the one who proposed remaking it.
More films by Michael Hoffman
Restoration
The Last Station
One Fine Day
The Emperor's Club
A Midsummer Night's Dream
The Best of MeOriginal Cinematopedia text based on Wikipedia (es) and Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.