X
  • 1987
  • R
  • Columbia Pictures
  • 1 h 49 m
  • 1987
  • R
  • Columbia Pictures
  • 1 h 49 m

Summary It is 1957. J.C. Cullen is a young man from a small town, with a talent for winning at craps, who leaves for the big city to work as a professional gambler. While there, he breaks the bank at a private craps game at the Gem Club, owned by George Cole, and falls in love with two women, one of them Cole's wife. Infuriated, Cole wagers ever...

Directed By: Ben Bolt, Harold Becker

Written By: Clark Howard, Robert Roy Pool

  • 1987
  • R
  • Columbia Pictures
  • 1 h 49 m
  • 1987
  • R
  • Columbia Pictures
  • 1 h 49 m

The Big Town

Metascore Mixed or Average Based on 11 Critic Reviews
48
User Score Available after 4 ratings
tbd
My Score
Hover and click to give a rating Saved

Where to Watch

Summary It is 1957. J.C. Cullen is a young man from a small town, with a talent for winning at craps, who leaves for the big city to work as a professional gambler. While there, he breaks the bank at a private craps game at the Gem Club, owned by George Cole, and falls in love with two women, one of them Cole's wife. Infuriated, Cole wagers ever...

Directed By: Ben Bolt, Harold Becker

Written By: Clark Howard, Robert Roy Pool

Where to Watch

Top Cast

View All
View All Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Mixed or Average Based on 11 Critic Reviews
48
27% Positive
3 Reviews
27% Mixed
3 Reviews
45% Negative
5 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Mixed or Average Based on 11 Critic Reviews
48
27% Positive
3 Reviews
27% Mixed
3 Reviews
45% Negative
5 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
88
The story is predictable, but the style had me on the edge of my seat.
By Roger Ebert FULL REVIEW
67
The 1950s atmosphere is vivid and the cast is solid, except Diane Lane, who saves most of her energy for the unnecessary sex scenes. The story builds a good deal of momentum and then falls completely apart in the last 20 minutes or so. [09 Oct 1987, p.21]
By David Sterritt FULL REVIEW
50
First-time director Ben Bolt, son of writer Robert Bolt, evokes excitement with the gambling scenes, but the climactic shooting is poorly staged, and the epilogue is a letdown. [21 Oct 1987]
By Bob Thomas FULL REVIEW
40
This huge cliche of a movie isn't even a distant relation of films like The Color of Money, which can actually make you root for hustlers. The Big Town only proves we've gone back to the 1950's one time too many.
By Caryn James FULL REVIEW
30
The Big Town aims to be The Hustler with dice, but it's just a lot of craps -- a laughable, overlong look at a small-town gambler's comeuppance at the hands of Chicago's high rollers.
By Rita Kempley FULL REVIEW
25
The plot is rather basic when you remove the clutter. Boy gets busted, needs girl to save his soul. It's all stiff and forced. So are the performances. [10 Oct 1987, p.B6]
FULL REVIEW
20
There's a lot of money in the sets, costumes, cinematography and soundtrack of The Big Town, but the movie has no soul. [29 Sep 1987, p.4D]
FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

Details

 View All
Production Company Albacore Productions Inc., Columbia Pictures
Release Date Sep 25, 1987
Duration 1 h 49 m
Rating R
Genres
Tagline When things get hot, people get burned . . . bet on it! (Video Australia)
View All Details

Related Movies

Dekalog (1988)

100
Universal Acclaim

The Leopard (re-release)

100
Universal Acclaim

The Conformist

100
Universal Acclaim

The Godfather

100
Universal Acclaim

Lawrence of Arabia (re-release)

100
Universal Acclaim

Casablanca

100
Universal Acclaim

Three Colors: Red

100
Universal Acclaim

Tokyo Story

100
Universal Acclaim

Citizen Kane

100
Universal Acclaim

Boyhood

100
Universal Acclaim

Notorious

100
Universal Acclaim

Fanny and Alexander (re-release)

100
Universal Acclaim

Touch of Evil

99
Universal Acclaim

Army of Shadows

99
Universal Acclaim

City Lights

99
Universal Acclaim

Moonlight

99
Universal Acclaim

Intolerance

99
Universal Acclaim

The Rules of the Game

99
Universal Acclaim

Seven Samurai

98
Universal Acclaim

The Wild Bunch

98
Universal Acclaim

Au hasard Balthazar

98
Universal Acclaim

Pépé le Moko (re-release)

98
Universal Acclaim

Related News

2024 Movie Release Calendar

2024 Movie Release Calendar

Jason Dietz

Find release dates for every movie coming to theaters, VOD, and streaming throughout 2024 and beyond, updated weekly.

  • movie
Every Zack Snyder Movie, Ranked

Every Zack Snyder Movie, Ranked

Nick Hyman

With the arrival of Zack Snyder's latest Rebel Moon chapter on Netflix, we rank every one of the director's films—from bad to, well, less bad—by Metascore.

  • movie
Every Guy Ritchie Movie, Ranked

Every Guy Ritchie Movie, Ranked

Nick Hyman

We rank every one of the British director's movies by Metascore, from his debut Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels to his brand new film, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.

  • movie
April Movie Preview (2024)

April Movie Preview (2024)

Keith Kimbell

The month ahead will bring new films from Alex Garland, Luca Guadagnino, Dev Patel, and more. To help you plan your moviegoing options, our editors have selected the most notable films releasing in April 2024, listed in alphabetical order.

  • movie
DVD/Blu-ray Releases: New & Upcoming

DVD/Blu-ray Releases: New & Upcoming

Jason Dietz

Find a list of new movie and TV releases on DVD and Blu-ray (updated weekly) as well as a calendar of upcoming releases on home video.

  • movie