Mat Mesic
I rarely find myself saying: “Well I did not see that coming!”, which is how I felt after watching Gambit.
Directed by Michael Hoffman, the movie features a clever fusion of Hollywood suspense with a twist of British humor. The cast of the film is a perfect combination of seasoned actors who manage to make the movie appear serious with a comic twist.
Colin Firth (The King’s Speech, Bridget Jones’s Diary) stars as Harry Deane an art curator who plans to hoodwink his less then appreciative boss played by Alan Rickman (Harry Potter, Sweeney Todd). To do so he enlists the help of a southern girl straight from the rodeo in the US played by Cameron Diaz (There’s Something About Mary, Charlie’s Angels).
The movie takes on a Thomas Crown Affair type scenario with a comedy romance angle when Rickman and Firth inadvertently fall for the American rodeo girl. With the obvious jealousy between the two men, Firth must pull of a master confidence scam while trying not to fumble over his own shoelaces.
The films main asset is its dark British humour which if you find yourself not appreciating might make your experience a drag. If however, you are a fan then the careful quick-lipped comments, innuendo and awkward situations the movie brings to life, will have you chuckling away through the entire feature.