Kaleidoscope

Warren Beatty struggled through a few duds in-between his star-making role in "Splendor In The Grass" and his re-emergence as a superstar in "Bonnie & Clyde". This film, though Warren is good in it, is incredibly slim. The production looks great, there's livelier-than-usual pacing from director Jack Smight, but it's just a puff piece--and not likely to be something Beatty is very proud of. Plot has a scam-artist in Europe breaking into a playing card factory and changing the reverse designs into code (I kid you not) so he can successfully cheat at all the top casinos! Much of the film is exposition, a big build-up to the climax, and supporting players Susannah York and Clive Revill are left without much to do. Flashy outing certainly looks handsome, but it's swinging '60s balderdash. ** from ****

Though not credited (and probably unauthorized), this film is clearly based on the James Bond novel "Casino Royale" by Ian Fleming. In fact, it's more like the novel than the 1967 film "Casino Royale". The initial set-up of the story is very different - it has nothing to do with spies, and Beatty's character is not based on Bond; but his attempt to out-gamble a villain, and the subsequent events, will be very familiar to anyone who has read the book. Bond fans who have wished for a faithful adaptation of "Casino Royale" should check out this film.

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ADDENDA: I wrote the above comments in February of 2001. It's now November 2006, and a new "official" version of "Casino Royale" is in theaters. It's one of the best Bond films ever, and very faithful to Fleming's original book. But I still heartily recommend "Kaleidoscope" to Bond fans (and others).

The movie isn't really a comedy, or suspenseful. It relies on Beatty's charms (who does "deliver") and one good idea. However, interesting at first, you know where it's going, and the whole thing becomes too predictable and unbelievable. I kept waiting for something original to come out of the blue, but that never happened. Warren is a much better criminal in Bonnie and Clyde, $ (1972) and others.

PS Instead of Susannah (Angel) throwing the gun to the water, she could have given it to Warren (Barney!...) and he would have lost it somehow. Whatever. Not a total waste of time.

The famous scene in THUNDERBALL, the first James Bond feature featuring supervillain Bloefeld, has his associates seated around a table, wondering which one of them will be found out as a traitor... for then to die in front of everyone...

And the same thing happens here with jovially sinister, talky antagonist Eric Porter as Dominion, more like Le Chiffre from CASINO ROYALE since American import cat burglar Warren Beatty is sent by British police to break the bank with a single night's poker match on the baddie's home turf, a castle with groovy interior befitting the rest of the cheerfully dated late-60's aesthetic...

Meanwhile the twist has already occurred, and is the main plot since Beatty's roving gentleman bandit Barney Lincoln had long broken into the KALEIDOSCOPE factory to mark each card...

So the best sequences occur before he's forced the reluctant spy-type mission... when he keeps winning hands at a plush casino, providing Beatty the kind of breezy role he's good at, and, with gorgeous blonde Susannah York... daughter of lawman Clive Revill... as a quirky ingenue, when the stakes are raised and cheating is no longer an option, there's a decent amount of plot-thickening suspense within the overall romantic-comedy aspect, making KALEIDOSCOPE a nifty time-filler that never tries for greatness, or even very-goodness... and that's perfectly alright.

This film was fun, though it's also easy to skip. In some ways, it's quite enjoyable and in others it's a little slight--especially when it comes to the romance. When the film begins, you see that Barney Lincoln (Warren Beatty) is an international playboy who loves to gamble...and win. However, you soon see how he's so good--as he breaks into the company (Mission: Impossible style) that manufactures cards for the casinos. Why? So he can mark the plates and thus be able to read all the cards*. Along the way, he gets hooked up with a screwy girl, Angel (Susannah York). This is problematic, as she then tells her father all about Barney and his incredible card playing...and he works for Scotland Yard. The film, however, doesn't go where you think as Daddy is not interested in arresting Barney but forcing him to do a job for him. What's the job and how will it all work out....well, see the film.

Watching Beatty breaking in and then playing a high-stakes game of poker was very enjoyable. His romance with York, however, never seemed very convincing nor romantic. I think if they'd have improved this angle, they would have made the film more engaging and more of a must-see affair.

*It's hard to imagine no one spotting the marks on the cards-- especially because these are multi-million dollar casinos. This just didn't make much sense.