MacLaine is a red-headed Eurasian woman toiling in a Hong Kong nightspot when Caine approaches her with a proposition. He and pal Abbott want to use her talents to help them steal a priceless Chinese work of art from Arab multimillionaire Lom. The face on the statuette is similar to that
of the Arab's departed wife. By a scriptwriter's coincidence, those features also happen to be the same as on MacLaine's face. Caine and MacLaine pretend to be British nobility when they travel to the city where Lom reigns supreme. It goes without saying that Lom is immediately attracted to
MacLaine, but Lom is no ninny and suspects the real reason for the visit, so he substitutes a fake statue for the real one. By another coincidence, Caine finds the real statuette and takes it. He then disappears, leaving MacLaine in a heckuva lurch. She is told that unless Caine returns the
artwork he will be found and killed. Caine tells MacLaine that Abbott is so good at duplicating art treasures no one will ever suspect one was put in place of the other. Lom gets a wire from Caine saying the real statuette is still in Lom's possession. Now Caine plans to sell a duplicate made by
Abbott some time before. The crime was, in fact, not a theft at all. Caine is attempting to sell the copy to some other art collector. Caine wants MacLaine to stay with him but she refuses. To prove his love for her, Caine ostensibly makes one last copy and destroys it to show he is through with
criminal activities. As Caine and MacLaine depart, Caine winks at Abbott. After they've left, Abbott opens a closet in which repose three more duplicates of the statuette.
Caine, in his first Hollywood film, impressed everyone with his combination of tight-lipped doggedness and underplayed sense of humor. This was also producer Fuchs's first picture and marked an auspicious beginning for the onetime movie studio still photographer. GAMBIT was a slightly-veiled copy
of TOPKAPI and RIFIFI, down to the elaborate planning sequence in both films. The major difference is that this picture had some very funny dialog. A delight to the eye and ear. Nominated by the Academy for Best Art Direction, Best Sound, and Best Costume Design. leave a comment