(1976)
2
Donald Guarisco
Gambling City is an uneven but still fairly novel programmer from reliable Italian journeyman Sergio Martino. This film finds Martino applying his action thriller directorial chops to a story set in the world of high-stakes gambling. Unfortunately, the script's erratic sense of tone might put some viewers off: after a fairly fun first half, the story takes a darker, dramatic turn that culminates in a surprise ending that might be a little too surprising for its own good. Despite these key missteps, Gambling City remains an entertaining piece of work for Euro-cult buffs thanks to a game cast and solid direction. Stars Luc Merenda and Dayle Haddon make for a likeable and glamorous lead couple while Corrado Pani is a good, old-fashioned "hiss-able" villain. Also worthy of note is Enrico Maria Salerno, who brings a little more emotion out of his "tragic crime boss" role than one might expect. Martino places these performances in a slick, visually alluring framework that provides the right amount of decadence needed to sell the storyline (he also does some fine work with a head-spinning car chase near the end). All in all, Gambling City is probably too uneven for the mass audience, but it offers enough fun to please viewers with a yen for Euro-crime thrills.
Gambling City on AllMovie
Gambling City (1976)
