A cast littered with classic thespians and Academy Award regulars, a screenplay from the brilliant Coen brothers and a story loosely inspired by a Michael Caine classic – you could be forgiven for approaching GAMBIT with very high expectations. The reality, however, is a deeply disappointing film that delivers clichéd characters, infrequent chuckles and a series of increasingly farcical situations.
The real strength of the Coens’ work has always been in their ability to write characters who are brilliantly ridiculous, and that most importantly leave a lasting impression, no matter how briefly they feature. O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?, for example, is teeming with character cameos, each fitting perfectly into the mad eccentricity of the Coen world. Unfortunately, somewhere in the crossover from portraying American culture to portraying European culture, their character writing loses its way, becoming instantly forgettable.
…watching Colin Firth get inexplicably punched in the face isn’t funny after the first three or four times…
The film’s premise follows Harry Deane (Colin Firth), a bumbling cliché of an awkward Englishman, as he attempts to escape his money troubles by conning his boss, media mogul Lord Shahbandar (Alan Rickman), into buying a fraudulent piece of artwork. Recruited to help to him in this crime caper are bawdy Texas rodeo champion, PJ Puznowski (Cameron Diaz), and artist Major Wingate (Tom Courtenay). Whilst the film is occasionally amusing it too frequently draws on toilet humour, unimaginative slapstick – watching Colin Firth get inexplicably punched in the face isn’t funny after the first three or four times – and nudity to try and summon laughs. Alan Rickman plays his part well as the very unlikeable Shahbandar, but unfortunately it isn’t enough to redeem a film that feels like it’s just trying a bit too hard.
By this point the ‘amusing foreigner’ gag is worn beyond repair…
After an ambling set-up involving a large amount of Colin Firth without his trousers, the film reaches its climax. By this point the ‘amusing foreigner’ gag is worn beyond repair, and a lion entrusted with protecting a multi-million pound art collection seems reasonably plausible. Hoffman has one more card to play with a final, unforeseeable twist that seems completely out of place in a film whose premise is the unfortunate discrepancies between a plan and the reality. GAMBIT seems to aim itself in the general direction of OCEAN’S 11 and THE ITALIAN JOB, in so much as its reimagining of a classic heist film, but it falls a long way short of the expectations.
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