Atlantic City (1980)

In watching 'Atlantic City' is was hard not think of it as something of a spiritual sequel to the HBO series 'Boardwalk Empire', even though it came out 30 years before. Filmed in a decaying Carter era Atlantic City we see the refuse of what was, just as it was beginning to be torn down and redeveloped for the likes of Donald Trump and others. Among the refuse I suppose is Lou Pascal (Burt Lancaster) a former body guard for gangster Cookie Pinza whose widow Grace (Kate Reid) Lou looks after in the old boardwalk front apartment building in which they both live, and which is soon to be torn down. Lou lusts after his much young neighbor Sally Matthews (Susan Sarandon) and after he comes by chance into some drugs to sell, gets in a position to woo her. This May/February of the next year relationship has a mentorly quality but is also creepy (as it was intended to be) given that Lancaster was born in 1913 and Sarandon in 1946. I loved the feel of this movie, slim on wallpaper, but the wallpaper was once pretty nice. I liked seeing Atlantic City at this transitional time, I liked the pacing the performances and the understatedness of things. A gangster movie/ character study/ ruminative tribute to a lost era. ***1/2