Gambit (Michael Hoffmann, 2012)

A remake of a 1966 Michael Caine-Shirley MacLaine screwball heist caper, Gambit is another of the Coen brothers' script tweaks that brings the story ostensibly into the present day, with costumes, cursing and prices updated, but in fact adds little else and therefore feels somewhat cackhandedly anachronistic, not least in its U.S.-pandering depiction of London and the English. It is a pity that the Coens, on their day amongst the wittiest and most distinctive filmmakers around, have to be this lazy from time to time, but then we already saw this with their version of The Ladykillers. Yes, they may not have directed here, but it is their responsibility nevertheless. The interplay between Colin Firth as the stifled employee seeking to fob a fake artwork off on his bastard millionaire boss, Alan Rickman, is perfectly enjoyable, but it feels too used to do much more than raise the occasional chuckle.

5/10