ATLANTIC CITY (1980)

Lou Pascal (Burt Lancaster) is an aging, small-time numbers runner in AC with a side job as go-fer and occasional lover of Grace Pinza (Kate Reid), bedridden former beauty contestant and widow of a gangster. But Lou has eyes for Sally Matthews (Susan Sarandon), an oyster shucker at a casino who's studying to be a dealer and croupier. Sally's shitheel estranged husband Dave (Robert Joy) arrives with her addle-brained, pregnant sister in tow, and a load of cocaine he filched from a Mob drop in Philadelphia. He enlists Lou to help sell it. Mobsters kill Dave and now Lou owns and sells the stash. Now he's fulfilling his fantasy of being a big shot gentleman and a gallant protector of Sally, who's wary of him at first but begins to yield to his anachronistic charm. The mobsters catch up with them just as both their lives begin to unravel. But, the movie has a very satisfying ending--both get their way. This may be Lancaster's greatest performance--not the usual he-man but a vulnerable old guy trying to live out a fantasy life. It also may be Sarandon's best, as she is alternately defensive and trusting, struggling to keep her balance as one disaster follows another. Reid, always good, is perfect as a would-be Grand Lady with a heart. Director Louis Maille brings it off as a rich character study. Along with "True Confessions," "Atlantic City" is one of the most under-appreciated great films of the Eighties.