The Gambler

I admit that it's pretty lame when the title of your movie is literally the actor as the title role. I am not going to see the other films in this series simply because they're too long and I didn't like this enough to see the other installments. I do like the environment this movie sets up. Everything is pretty interesting to look at and Kenny Rogers plays a good, well, gambler. It's strange how he is in fact given a name in the movie, Brady. I had to see this movie because according to Poobala's crossover website, the film series connects eight Westerns together!

Yes, according to him, the films put together feature characters and elements from "Bat Masterson", "Cheyenne", "Have Gun Will Travel", "Kung Fu", "The Life And Legend Of Wyatt Earp", "Maverick", "The Rifleman", and "The Westerner"! This movie only features those from "The Rifleman", "The Life And Legend Of Wyatt Earp", and "Cheyenne". It really is a pity that there weren't any characters from "Gunsmoke", easily the most famous of all these Westerns. I never grew up watching ANY of these shows. Honestly, I don't even think the Laff A Lympics brought together eight shows! This has more links than anything else on Poobala's website. While I just found this passable, I really do admire this series featuring characters from nearly every popular Western of the 1950's and 1960's. I know I'd get a lot of facts wrong if I went into further detail. While it's too bad I'm not familiar with any of these shows, if you are, then check this out! **1/2

This vehicle for Kenny Rogers has a warm avuncular charm. Rogers is not much of an actor, but he's mainly called upon to lend his considerable atmospheric presence to scenes in which others do (or attempt to do) the heavy lifting. And he's good at that: he doesn't chew scenery, he doesn't attempt moments of deep emotion, but his presence keeps the lightweight script from becoming an embarrassment.

The movie is unabashedly sentimental, like a good country song. Plot elements are formulaic, but successful enough, and the direction shows a sure touch, never letting the movie get either maudlin or silly.

A must-see for the Eight-Track-Tape crowd, but not a bad choice for those who just like a little unchallenging fluff now and again.

Kenny Rogers stars as an old-line gambler, and Bruce Boxleitner as a young gambler whom Rogers schools in the ways of getting out alive. It's a TV movie based on Rogers' hit song, and looks to be the sort of show intended to augur in a series. None eventuated; Rogers was more than busy with his music gigs and occasional cameos.

Rogers does a good job, and Boxleitner brings a lot of youthful, nervous energy to his role. Joseph Biroc offers his usual excellent camerawork, with the bare, high peaks of Arizona filmed quite beautifully.

"The Gambler" is a made-for-TV Western-movie, directed by Dick Lowry in 1980.

Basic plot: Brady Hawkes (played by Kenny Rogers) is a famous poker player everybody wants to play against. On his trip to New Orleans, he gets to know about his son, who asks him in a letter to help him and his mother. Together with Billy Montana (played by Bruce Boxleitner), an avid poker gamer and a gunman, they are on the way to Hawkes' own problems; including an old enemy of Hawkes sending three assassins against him...

I just finished watching this on VHS before writing this review, this because I actually enjoyed this Western-movie. The storytelling was good, and music artist Kenny Rogers does a great performance as the famous gambler who does things with honesty. Bruce Boxleitner also does a great job as a gambler, but also a gunman.

The old VHS edition I have was released in Norway by former video distributor VIP Scandinavia AS/MDC Video during the 80s, and was rated 16. According the the video cover, this film was the most popular feature being shown on TV in USA in 1980.

For a conclusion, I wish to recommend anybody who enjoys TV-movies or Westerns to watch this movie at least once. My overall rating: 9/10.

This movie was actually quite fun. Plus, Christine Belford is an amazing actress and a striking beauty. As remarkable as it used to get. I can see why this Kenny Rogers character spun off in to decades long sequels.