This film begins with a gambler by the name of "Jack Weil" (Robert Redford) coming to Havana, Cuba just days before Fidel Castro takes over in an armed revolution. As you might expect things are rather tense all over the country. In any case, what Jack is looking forward to is the possibility of a big poker match which he hopes to win with the backing of a major hotel in the area headed by his friend "Joe Volpi" (Alan Ladd). His plans, however, become sidetracked when he meets a beautiful woman by the name of "Roberta 'Bobby' Duran" (Lena Olin) who just happens to be the wife of one of the more prominent men in Cuba and is also sympathetic to the revolution. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this film did a remarkably good job at portraying the situation in Cuba prior to the revolution. I also liked the performances of both Robert Redford and to a lesser extent that of Tony Plana (as "Julio Ramos"). On the other hand, I though the chemistry between Robert Redford and Lena Olin could have used some improvement but even so it was adequate enough all things considered. That being said, I enjoyed this film for the most part and have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.
