Gambit

• Gambit (2012) (Blu-Ray)
• Gambit (2012)

Product Description Art curator for media tycoon Lord Lionel Shahbandar (Alan Rickman), Harry Deane (Colin Firth) plans to acquire the piece his employer longs for--Monet's 'Dusk’. However, Harry has no interest in procuring the actual painting for Shahbandar... With the help of beautiful rodeo queen PJ Puznowski (Cameron Diaz), the pair hatch a scheme to fool Shahbandar into believing that Harry's expert forgery is the real deal and pocketing a hefty sum in the process. But with the con proving harder to pull off than he had first intended, Harry finds himself in increasingly awkward and hilarious situations in order to keep Shahbandar's suspicions at bay and see the job through to the end. Amazon.co.uk Review Pretty much without question, the biggest selling point of caper movie Gambit is the names of the people who wrote it. The screenplay to the film, a remake of the 1966 movie of the same name, was penned by the terrific Coen Brothers, and there are several of their touches quietly dotted right throughout the movie. A full-on Coen Brothers movie though this is not. Gambit is also a film that's attracted quite a cast. Headlined by Oscar-winner Colin Firth, the line-up also features a wonderful Alan Rickman, a playful Cameron Diaz and an underrated turn from the regularly underappreciated Stanley Tucci. Each turns in good work, and each is great fun to watch. That said, even with those ingredients in place, there's a sense that Gambit doesn't always quite add up the film you might suspect. It's certainly a lot of fun at its best, and there's quite an old school, traditional feel to it. The humour's variable, but then there's a lot of upbeat positivity underpinning Gambit, that ultimately makes it hard to resist. It would have certainly been interesting had the Coen Brothers decided to direct Gambit as well as write it. As things stand, though, it's an undemanding, entertaining and rewatchable film, that could have been just that little bit more. Well worth watching, but readjust your expectations accordingly. -- Jon Foster