Karl Malden

A Streetcar Named Desire - 2/5

This is a confused movie, with each of the characters being either detestable or impotent, and often both. It’s meandering and vague, which makes its pointless ending an insult to the audience’s time and intelligence. The film tries to convey solidarity through compassion for the main character, but only succeeds in eliciting scornful pity as her villainy is revealed through the film. The only redeeming feature of this story is its tragically poetic dialogue, which is beautiful but falls flat without a meaningful story to tell.

Closest comparison: It’s like Gone With the Wind by way of Sunset Boulevard.

Setting: Drama
Plot: Tragedy
Tone: Tragedy

The Cincinnati Kid - 2/5

This movie is a character drama that starts off promising but loses the plot. It’s too pointless to be a classic, though the production values are there for it, and everyone’s acting chops are wasted on a washout script.

Closest comparison: It’s like Rounders by way of The Graduate.

Setting: Gambling
Plot: Gambling
Tone: Drama