Atlantic City

R 7.3
1981 1 hr 44 min Drama , Crime , Romance

In a corrupt city, a small-time gangster and the estranged wife of a pot dealer find themselves thrown together in an escapade of love, money, drugs and danger.

  • Cast:
    Burt Lancaster , Susan Sarandon , Kate Reid , Michel Piccoli , Hollis McLaren , Robert Joy , Al Waxman

Similar titles

Ocean's Eleven
Ocean's Eleven
Less than 24 hours into his parole, charismatic thief Danny Ocean is already rolling out his next plan: In one night, Danny's hand-picked crew of specialists will attempt to steal more than $150 million from three Las Vegas casinos. But to score the cash, Danny risks his chances of reconciling with ex-wife, Tess.
Ocean's Eleven 2001
K-PAX
K-PAX
Prot is a patient at a mental hospital who claims to be from a far away planet. His psychiatrist tries to help him, only to begin to doubt his own explanations.
K-PAX 2001
Saw
Saw
Two men wake up to find themselves shackled in a grimy, abandoned bathroom. As they struggle to comprehend their predicament, they discover a disturbing tape left behind by the sadistic mastermind known as Jigsaw. With a chilling voice and cryptic instructions, Jigsaw informs them that they must partake in a gruesome game in order to secure their freedom.
Saw 2004
The Interpreter
The Interpreter
After Silvia Broome, an interpreter at United Nations headquarters, overhears plans of an assassination, an American Secret Service agent is sent to investigate.
The Interpreter 2005
The Good German
The Good German
An American journalist arrives in Berlin just after the end of World War Two. He becomes involved in a murder mystery surrounding a dead GI who washes up at a lakeside mansion during the Potsdam negotiations between the Allied powers. Soon his investigation connects with his search for his married pre-war German lover.
The Good German 2006
Jackie Brown
Jackie Brown
Jackie Brown is a flight attendant who gets caught in the middle of smuggling cash into the country for her gunrunner boss. When the cops try to use Jackie to get to her boss, she hatches a plan — with help from a bail bondsman — to keep the money for herself.
Jackie Brown 1997
A Clockwork Orange
A Clockwork Orange
In a near-future Britain, young Alexander DeLarge and his pals get their kicks beating and raping anyone they please. When not destroying the lives of others, Alex swoons to the music of Beethoven. The state, eager to crack down on juvenile crime, gives an incarcerated Alex the option to undergo an invasive procedure that'll rob him of all personal agency. In a time when conscience is a commodity, can Alex change his tune?
A Clockwork Orange 1971
Lucky Number Slevin
Lucky Number Slevin
Slevin is mistakenly put in the middle of a personal war between the city’s biggest criminal bosses. Under constant watch, Slevin must try not to get killed by an infamous assassin and come up with an idea of how to get out of his current dilemma.
Lucky Number Slevin 2006
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
Some of Sin City's most hard-boiled citizens cross paths with a few of its more reviled inhabitants.
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For 2014
Mean Streets
Mean Streets
A small-time hood must choose from among love, friendship and the chance to rise within the mob.
Mean Streets 1973

Reviews

Spoonatects
1981/04/03

Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

... more
Megamind
1981/04/04

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

... more
AnhartLinkin
1981/04/05

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

... more
Brenda
1981/04/06

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

... more
frankwiener
1981/04/07

To no fault of my own, I was born and raised in New Jersey. Regardless, please don't hold that fact alone against me. I deserve a chance. After a hiatus of ten years for good behavior, I returned to the state to attend graduate school at the same time that this film was produced and when there was so much hope that a crumbling, dying Atlantic City would be revitalized by the recently legalized casino industry. When the taxpayers of New Jersey approved the legalization of gambling in 1976, they were showered with empty promises of how a vision of gleaming Atlantic City casinos would substantially subsidize the state's very inefficient and wasteful public education system. Today, more than forty years after the much touted "Promise of Atlantic City", New Jersey is among the highest taxed states in the nation, largely because of the very same, maddening costs of an extremely localized public education system. In spite of the highest real property taxes in the country and additional taxes and lotteries of every kind, the state is also financially bankrupt as of this writing in 2018. The promise of Atlantic City was a total lie, not only for the state but for the city. For me, this movie is a brilliant illustration of the hopelessness that lies ahead, not only for all of the characters within the story but for the perpetually troubled and morally corrupt city at the center of the movie. Near the end, as Lou discusses the kind of pizza that Sally is supposed to bring him, he knows that she will not be returning. "Remember to ditch the car," he advises her in a sudden flash to reality. As he peers out of the motel window watching Sally drive away, Lou, unlike the duped taxpayers and voters of New Jersey in 1976, is too smart not to understand the truth of the matter.As good as Burt Lancaster was throughout his career, going back to "The Killers" in 1946, the man aged like fine wine. I recently viewed "The Swimmer", produced when he was 55, and just watched this film when he was 67. As interesting as the basic concepts of both films were, they would not have been as captivating without the depth and intelligence that Lancaster brought to their leading roles. Susan Sarandon as Sally kept up with the old master every step of the way, and she looked stunning. I would love her as my croupier any day of the week, not that I can afford to indulge. I worked too hard for my money through the years.In order to tell his very sad but compelling story, Director Louis Malle brilliantly used the backdrop of a crumbling, decadent city that had been given false hope on a massive, monumental scale. This time, I was happy to focus on the actual action of the movie rather than the subtitles so that I could appreciate the extent of his very talented directing ability.

... more
dougdoepke
1981/04/08

Plot—A small-time numbers runner in Atlantic City eyes his cute young neighbor, at the same time he tends to the needs of a bed-ridden older woman. Then he steals a cache of powdered drugs that the neighbor is taking care of for her brother who has stolen them from the mob. The money now acts as a catalyst in bringing forth the dreams of the three as they interact.I'd like to suggest a main theme that ties together much of the movie's lengthy narrative. Everybody's got dreams in this character driven Louis Malle film. What stood out for me is how morally compromised the main characters are. Still, we can't help liking them despite their flaws. True, Lancaster's small-time numbers runner (Lou) is generous with his money. But consider that all that dough comes from stolen drugs he's resold to a supplier. Thus, one man's generosity comes from the addictive misery of others. Then too, he's not above popping two hoods as they try to get their money back. More significantly, killing them finally confirms that he's a real hood and not just a bragging story-teller. Thus his big dream of being a real killer is fulfilled as his gushing reactions show. Then too, sneakily fulfilling Sally's dream at the end may be a kind of redemption for his own lifetime of guilty pleasures. At the same time, waitress Sally (Sarandon) steals money from Lou despite their romantic over-nighters. And that's after he's offered her a glorious life for them in sunny Florida. But, behind that charming smile lies an unrelenting brain, as she drives on toward her card- dealing dream in ritzy Monaco. Perhaps tellingly, we're not shown her upshot, unlike what happens to Lou. Then there's the bed-ridden Grace (Reid). Her dream may well be regaining mobility instead of just lying in bed complaining and imposing on Lou for her daily needs. With that dream fulfilled thanks to Lou's new-found and non-mercenary commitment, she finds reason to walk.Perhaps this is what underlies that final dignified shot of Lou and Grace walking together along a rebuilding Atlantic City whose own yearnings are underway. That last shot is a portrait of dreams-- maybe not well understood or morally deserved-- but at last fulfilled. Thus an unusually thoughtful 100-minutes is topped off.

... more
Lee Eisenberg
1981/04/09

Louis Malle's "Atlantic City" is as much a look at the changes that the east coast's gambling mecca was undergoing as it is a story of an aging gangster and a waitress. The elderly Lou (Burt Lancaster) talks about how the city used to be. Of course, part of what the movie shows is that even the renovation can't truly hide the gritty side of things, as the thugs are looking for the cocaine. The most famous scene is Sally's (Susan Sarandon) rubbing the lemon juice on herself to get the fish smell off, but the demolition of the old buildings, the crime bosses, and the whole end sequence tell plenty of stories as well. A very good movie.PS: Watch for an appearance by Wallace Shawn as a waiter. Malle soon afterwards cast him in "My Dinner with Andre".

... more
Gordon-11
1981/04/10

This film is about a woman working in Atlantic City, whose husband tries to sell the cocaine he found from some gangsters."Atlantic City" has a straight forward story, told linearly in a matter of fact manner. There is little left to the imagination. In addition, the characters are underdeveloped. Take Grace for an example, she could have been a fascinating character, but she is such a dispensable character that could have been deleted from the film. Lou's claims to be a big time gangster years ago is beyond comprehension either. As a result, I did not feel for the characters, I did not get engaged by the events in the film, and I found it rather plain and dull.As "Atlantic City" got five Oscar nominations, I had great hopes for it. I am left disappointed by it after watching it.

... more