Com a Vida em Jogo

"The Big Town" tells of a small town man (Dillon) with a knack for shooting craps who goes to Chicago to seek his fortune. The film has an excellent cast and all of the story elements required to make a good film. However, tv director Bolt doesn't manage to accomplish that goal as the film is sorely lacking in style, artistry, cohesion, and vision. Instead we see talented performers mechanically going from set to set resulting in an ordinary film product which is flawed, full of incongruities, and not equal to the sum of its parts. An okay watch for Dillon fans now on cable.

The year is 1957 and in the small town of Rockport, Indiana a young man by the name of "J.C. Cullen" (Matt Dillon) dreams of making it big in Chicago by counting the odds and throwing dice. Even his mentor "Carl Hooker" (Don Francks) admits that he is the best craps shooter he has ever seen-and Hooker has seen some of the best. So with the encouragement of his good friend and a recommendation to a reputable sponsor by the name of "Ferguson Edwards" (Lee Grant) J.C. gets on the bus and heads out to the Windy City to try his luck. And it's here that he meets people who will make an indelible impression on him for the rest of his life. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that I really liked this movie. Not only does it capture the timeframe rather well but it also included a solid cast with good performances by just about everybody involved with Diane Lane (as "Lorry Dane") and Tom Skerritt (as "Phil Carpenter") truly standing out. In short, I consider this to be an underrated picture and recommend it to viewers who might be interested in a film of this sort.

The Big Town is an underrated movie. It boasts of a fantastic cast, and an interesting storyline, yet there are few who remember this movie. I suppose the screenplay and direction could have been better, yet this movie deserves more appreciation than it actually got. Matt Dillon puts in a good performance as the young shooter from a small town, trying to make it big with the 'throw of the dice'. But the man who steals the show is Tommy Lee Jones with an excellent performance as the old timer( a shooter himself) who doesn't think too kindly of the 'new kid on the block(Dillon). Diane Lane, better known for Murder at 1600, plays his wife, and Tom Skeritt and Suzy Amis are good in supporting roles. Amis, in particular, makes excellent use of her limited screen time. This movie is definitely recommended. Truly outstanding work by the entire cast.

I was attracted to this movie when I looked at cast list, but after I watched it I must admit that I felt a bit disappointed. The main problem of this movie is that actors aren't capable of holding this movie on their back. Why? Because of bad script. Although Dillon, Lane and Jones try very hard to take this movie on another level, there is no innovative storytelling and the direction is too ordinary. So for Matt Dillon fans this is watchable movie, just like for admirers of beautiful Diane Lane. Legendary Tommy Lee Jones is always great but this is not movie for him; far below his level. So if you get hooked up by this great cast watch it but don't expect anything big or extraordinary. The only thing that you'll remember about this flick is Diane Lane scenes; rest of it is very forgettable.

Considering the big name cast and lavish production I expected a lot more of this film. The acting for the most part is great, although the story they have to work with is mediocre at best. However the film still warrants watching because of the acting and the stars and some and up and coming young talent.