Atlantic City (1980)

Atlantic City
Directed by Louis Malle
Written by John Guare
1980/Canada/France
IMDb Page
Repeat viewing/YouTube rental
One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

Lou: The floy floy. That was something special. Atlantic City had floy floy coming out of its ears in those days. Now it’s all so goddamn legal. Howard Johnson running a casino. Tutti-frutti ice cream with craps don’t mix.

I love this movie and have watched it many times with the same pleasure.

The story takes place in 1980 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The relics of the city’s heyday as a beach resort and mob-run vice playland are falling under the wrecker’s ball to make way for showy but sterile casinos.

Lou (Burt Lancaster) was a low-level gangster in the old days. He now runs numbers in poor neighborhood and is more-or-less kept by Grace (Kate Reid). Lou failed to protect Grace’s late husband and she spend most of the film yelling at him.

Sally (Susan Sarandon) works at the oyster bar at one of the casinos. She dreams of becoming the first female dealer at Monte Carlo. In the meantime she washes the fish smell off her naked torso with lemons every night proving daily entertainment for Lou.

Into the mix comes Sally’s scumbag husband and sister, who is now heavily pregnant from the husband. Sally is not happy to see them. She is less happy when she finds out that the husband stole a large amount of cocaine from the mob and wants to hide out in her house. Lou is ready to protect Sally in the violence that follows but canhe?If you are looking for a quirky character driven film with outstanding acting and staging, look no further. Highly recommended.