Atlantic City is a superb film. Director Malle manages to explore a specific location (Atlantic City) and its habitants, without resorting to obvious clichés. It’s a superb, very original study of some fascinating characters and their environment. We first meet a geriatric, small-time hood named Lou (Burt Lancaster), a man who has changed little and learned almost nothing in the last four decades. Lou is the caregiver, servant and sometimes sexual partner of faded ex-beauty queen Grace (Kate Reid), a woman clearly living in a past that never existed. Lou’s next door neighbor is Sally (Susan Sarandon), a woman with no money in the bank but with plenty of ambition. Sally receives an unexpected visit from her estranged husband and sister (it seems that the hubby had ran away with little sis), which complicates her already difficult life. These are the characters; an assortment of losers that in a few days will see their dreams take an interesting turn.
The symbolism is obvious; like the city itself (trying to survive a period of transition), the film’s main characters have to make life-altering decisions. As I just said, the metaphor is clear but Malle spins the story (and characters) in very unexpected ways; you just cannot anticipate where the film’s story is going. The acting is sensational. Lancaster’s big time loser Lou (all style and no substance) is a revelation. Lou is a man who has charisma, but has little common sense. However, despite the character’s obvious weaknesses, Lancaster gives Lou a sense of dignity. Sarandon is also superb (and very sensual) as a woman desperate to achieve something with her life. She represents the shaky future.
Atlantic City is a richly textured film, which gains force with each image, each piece of dialogue. The film’s characters are an open window into a city at the end (or the beginning) of something important. A truly great film by one of cinema’s greatest directors, the always reliable Louis Malle.
