The Gamblers: 4k Restoration – VCI Entertainment (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: USA/Yugoslavia, 1970
Director: Ron Winston
Writer: Ron Winston
Cast: Suzy Kendall, Don Gordon, Pierre Olaf, Kenneth Griffith, Stuart Margolin, Richard Ng, Massimo Serato, Faith Domergue, Relja Basic, Anthony Chinn

Release Date: November 7th, 2023
Approximate Running Time: 92 Minutes 3 seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: LPCM Mono English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $19.95

"A team of professional card sharks set out to fleece a wealthy aristocrat of this savings and receive an I.O.U. in payment, which turns out to be worthless. An interesting international cast and a setting in beautiful downtown Dubrovnik (a resort town in Yugoslavia) makes for an enjoyable 'caper' film." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "from a 4K scan and restoration!"

The Gamblers comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 22 GB

Feature: 21.6 GB

The source used for this transfer is in great shape; I only noticed a few minor instances of source debris. Flesh tones look correct, colors look very good, image clarity and black levels are strong, and compression is very good.

Audio: 4/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in English with removable English SDH. The audio sounds clean, clear, and balanced. Range-wise, things sound very good.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an audio commentary with film historian Robert Kelly.

Summary:

The Gamblers is the last of four theatrical films directed by Ron Winston, whose other credits consist of TV series and TV movies.

The narrative revolves around a conman who meets two conmen on a cruise who make him an offer too good to refuse.

The Gamblers is a comedy/crime caper that leans more towards the latter. The first 30 minutes are spent getting to know all the key characters who will play a role in the big caper that is The Gambler's main centerpiece. Once the plan is laid out for the caper, there are a series of additional cons in which characters vie for an advantage over each other. With the biggest twist saved for the finale.

The Gamblers greatest strength is its solid cast, who all are very good in their roles, especially Richard Ng (My Lucky Stars) in the role of Koboyashi, the karate expert man servant of the two con men trying to con the protagonist. Another performance of note is Suzy Kendall (The Bird with the Crystal Plumage) in the role of Candace, a woman who becomes attached to the protagonist after a chance encounter on the cruise. Her character provides eye candy as she spends an ample amount of time parading around in a bikini.

From a production standpoint, there are more areas where The Gamblers works than fails. Though the visuals are not flashy, they do a good job letting characters take center stage, and they take advantage of the beautiful locations. A pedestrian score and humor are two areas where The Gamblers is not that strong. Ultimately, The Gamblers is an interesting premise that never fully lives up to its potential.

The Gamblers gets a strong release from VCI Entertainment that comes with a good audio/video presentation and an informative audio commentary.

Written by Michael Den Boer