Sunday, March 22, 2020

The Gambler (1980)

Brady Hawkes (Kenny Rogers) is a noted gambler.  He arrives in El Paso to catch a train to Yuma.  No sooner does he arrive than he spots a cardsharp cheating at poker.  The victims are about to draw when Brady intervenes, exposing the 'victims' as cheats as well, just not as good.  The cardsharp is Billy Montana (Bruce Boxleitner), a wannabe poker ace.  Brady teaches him a lesson by wiping him out in a friendly game with a neutral dealer.  He leaves Billy with some money, explaining you should never leave a man busted.

Brady recently received a letter from a son he never knew he had by a wife who left him.  He's on his way to help his son and probably his ex-wife.  The train trip is not dull.  There are stops for shenanigans, hired guns out to stop Brady, and a wealthy train owner (Harold Gould) with designs on a married passenger with a mysterious past.  So many backstories to reveal, all standard tropes of the Western genre.  Most Western heroes are armed with a six-shooter but Brady gets along with a two-shot derringer.

Though Kenny Rogers was famous for singing the song of the same name, he proves to be the old gambler who mentors young Billy Montana.  Recommended.

RIP Kenny Rogers

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