MovieChat Forums > Atlantic City (1981) Discussion > Why is this rated so high?

Why is this rated so high?

posted 19 years ago by Irish-Sunglasses
26 replies | jump to latest

Personally I found nothing to like in any of the characters in this movie. The old woman who alternates between letting Lou grope her and screaming at him like he's a child...Susan Saradon, who I can't stand in anything she does but is too boggle-eyed in this movie...her pothead Hare Krishna sister...and even Lou himself, who I found to be quite unbelievable.

Seriously, who brags about murdering someone?

Why do white people who convert to Hinduism believe that they have to use inhuman amounts of mind-altering drugs when over one billion Hindus don't feel the need too?

Why do I find it hard to believe that a gangster would murder someone in broad daylight...on the street...and no one sees a damn thing?

Why would a thug take over ten seconds to react after his thug buddy is shot?

Why is the knife-stabbing scene the fakest-looking knifing I've ever seen??

Why did I hope everyone in this movie dropped dead and was washed away in the Atlantic Ocean?????

It's Cosmo...He's Chinese.

[–] Mr_Gitts 19 years ago

"Personally I found nothing to like in any of the characters in this movie." That's your prerogative. Understand, you're in the minority.

"Seriously, who brags about murdering someone?" Someone who would lie about it before they had committed any. Someone who pretends. Someone who poses as something they are not. It's called human nature.

"Why do white people who convert to Hinduism believe that they have to use inhuman amounts of mind-altering drugs when over one billion Hindus don't feel the need too?" You don't really need an answer to this, do you?

"Why do I find it hard to believe that a gangster would murder someone in broad daylight...on the street...and no one sees a damn thing?" There were two "outdoors" murders. Neither was both "in broad daylight" AND "on the street" (one was at night and one was far off the street in a low-traffic area). Even if there were...check the unsolved murder files in the Chicago PD sometime if you really doubt this can happen.

"Why would a thug take over ten seconds to react after his thug buddy is shot?" 1. He didn't get 10 seconds. 2. The thug is still human. Lou Pascal is a two-bit hustler with a reputation as a chicken, and now he just committed manslaughter while the thug was menacing Sally. Lou has a gun and the thug has a knife. The seven or eight seconds it did take for the reaction is not that long in such a situation.

"Why is the knife-stabbing scene the fakest-looking knifing I've ever seen??" I'm afraid this is another minority viewpoint.

Finally, "Why is this rated so high?" Because it's a damn good movie, that's why.

[–] Irish-Sunglasses 19 years ago

Why do white people who convert to Hinduism believe that they have to use inhuman amounts of mind-altering drugs when over one billion Hindus don't feel the need too?" You don't really need an answer to this, do you?

Yes, I do. Keep in mind, my questions were rhetorical and not requiring answers at all. Just because I am in the "minority opinion" about this movie doesn't mean I can't express my belief that this was a c r a p p y movie and the characters were weak.

It's Cosmo...He's Chinese.

[–] Mr_Gitts 19 years ago

I implied you might not need an answer because, unlike your other questions (which, by the way, were really not rhetorical), your "white people and Hinduism" question is (I'm assuming) based on observations of the flakey mother-to-be in the movie, the Beatles, Mia Farrow, and a handful of other celebs who are certainly not representative of Hindus of any ethnic stripe.

Little defensive in your last sentence there, sir. No one would question your right to express your "belief that this was a c r a p p y movie". We might question your taste, judgment, artistic acumen, etc. But never your right of expression. Just want to make sure that's clear.

[–] manage-932-700755 13 years ago

I rated the film a 10. Having grown up spending much time in the summer in Atlantic City, the film was a special treat for me. I could easily relate to the boaerdwalk atmosphere- before and after the casinos were built.

[–] floydpinque 17 years ago

This movie is more than just what you see. It's a metaphor about how the old must make way for the new in time. The buildings being torn down. Lou Pascal himself, a relic of older days as a numbers-runner when he knows that the new casinos will put him out of business.

ATLANTIC CITY HAD FLOYD-FLOYD BACK THEN!

[–] JrnlofEddieDeezenStudies 14 years ago

Right, and a lot of it is also commentary on the multifaceted nature of Atlantic City during a period when it was undergoing a lot of changes, hearing a lot of promises, etc. Part of the reason the gangster kills someone in broad daylight is because this is Atlantic City--a place that had supposedly been revitalized by the opening of the first casinos, but where the casinos where hardly even a surface sheen on a troubled place, a place which had one of the worst crime rates in the country. It still has a lot of problems, although it's gotten better than what you see in the film.

Some of the film is actually more like an absurdist black comedy about this. The most obvious scene for that is the scene featuring Robert Goulet performing in the hospital.

It's a great, complex film about a complex place.

http://www.rateyourmusic.com/~JrnlofEddieDeezenStudies

[–] defiant-10 17 years ago

I'm still looking for the IMDb chat that doesn't have someone who takes the time to say, "This is the worst movie I've ever seen".

Why bother? And, why bother us?

What I had in mind was boxing the compass.

[–] rsblaker 16 years ago

Cant agree more. Its like if you hate the movie so much why are you checking it out on IMDb? I personally only look up movies I like. Yet, board after board are filled with people who hate the particular film. I just dont get it....

[–] Grammaw_Oddree 16 years ago

"Seriously, who brags about murdering someone?"

3 words!

are you ready?

JOHN MARK KARR

[–] skontch 16 years ago

hey fat guy

your comments remind of one of my favorite sayings.."tis better to keep quiet and have people believe you're ignorant, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt"

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] WarpedRecord 14 years ago

This is a superb union of acting talent, cinematography and history – not an action film or a feel-good movie. You don't have to like anyone.

[–] zurichpoet 14 years ago

This was my first Louis Malle film Warped R! That guy gives sophistication a good name, as much as it can be rescued from the modern pejorative. I saw these other films ("Fire and Ice" and "Young Torless" which are both very good) with his name attached to them in a producing capacity; and they made me give a film of his a look. Wow!

Though, it made me think of "The King of Marvin Gardens". I can't help but think that film influenced this into life. Which is, also, a good thing!

[–] WarpedRecord 14 years ago

So glad you like this film, Zurichpoet! I've been meaning to drop you a line about it, along with a line about David & David and sundry other topics.

This is a real piece of Americana, from a Frenchman no less. Intersecting lives, the changing of the guard from old-school gangster to new-school suburbia, the death of old dreams and the birth of new ones. This film could easily have been three-plus hours, and it probably should have.

I've seen a handful of other Louis Malle films, but this is by far my favorite. "Damage," "Alamo Bay" and "Vanya on 42nd Street" are good as well. I've just gotten "Au Revoir Les Enfants," "May Fools" and "Pretty Baby," so I'll watch those soon.

So many films, so little time. Speaking of which, I'd better get back to work before my boss catches me posting here. Hope you're enjoying July, and all the best to you and the dawgs!

[–] 14 years ago

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[–] 14 years ago

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