Atlantic City

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Atlantic City

R

1981

1h 44m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

100%

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37 Reviews

77%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

When Sally Matthews (Susan Sarandon) leaves her Canadian home to relocate to Atlantic City, she aspires to a prosperous career in the gambling industry. With her criminal husband (Robert Joy) on her trail, however, it appears that she can't escape from trouble, until she finds an unlikely savior in Lou Pascal (Burt Lancaster), an aging small-time mobster. By becoming involved with Sally, Lou finds a way to achieve the success he's dreamed of, but his plan may endanger both their lives.

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Critics Consensus

Bittersweet and reflective, Atlantic City is a modest romance given raw power by Burt Lancaster and Susan Sarandon's heartfelt performances along with director Louis Malle's eccentric eye for detail.

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Pauline Kael

The New Yorker

Sep 12, 2023

Lancaster uses his big, strong body so expressively that if this were a stage performance the audience would probably give him a standing ovation. I don’t see how he could be any better.

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Eric Hynes

Village Voice

Oct 7, 2012

[Sarandon is] shirtless before she even has a name, but her desire to be ogled is granted dignity and power; gradually and unassumingly, she upstages a terrific Burt Lancaster.

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

Oct 7, 2012

A shimmering success.

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Sean Burns

Crooked Marquee

Jul 16, 2022

Lancaster was never more moving onscreen than when he was lying to himself, and there are shades of his shattering performance as John Cheever’s 'The Swimmer' in Lou’s tall tales of his glory days.

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Michael Ventura

L.A. Weekly

Dec 29, 2021

Atlantic City is a rough and tender film, a dreamer's film, and beautifully made. A small film that plays for high stakes and ends with the wheel still rolling.

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Niall Browne

Movies in Focus

Jun 24, 2021

4/5

The bleak cinematography and subtle score give Atlantic City a hypnotic quality and it obviously inspired Bruce Springsteen's track of the same name from his Nebraska album - in fact lines from the song are "borrowed" from Guare's screenplay.

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mark G

@Mark_Alan_G. Sep 6, 2026

Expertly shot, wonderfully acted, tremendous film. Lancaster and Sarandon are awesome

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bruce F

@bruce999 Aug 4, 2026

over-rated, but still ok account. amusing, at times. especially when lancaster fights back. good acting but it is not a 5 star movie

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R H.

@bobby17 Mar 20, 2026

One of my favorite movies been watching this since it came out.

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Evelyn X

@yiyi1111 Feb 11, 2026

The story begins with a young man who steals drugs and dies shortly after. The protagonist, an elderly man who gets involved, is actually quite decent. He manages to earn money by selling the remaining drugs and builds a connection with his beautiful neighbor, who happens to be the young man's widow. Later, when the old man sees the woman being threatened by a gangster, he shoots the pursuer and makes a run for it, seeming strangely proud of his actions. The woman, meanwhile, remains pragmatic; she knows the importance of money and refuses to depend on anyone. Although her attempt to become a dealer fails, she still hopes to start a new life with the cash. Finally, there is the bedridden elderly lady. After receiving a massage from the woman’s sister, she regains some mobility. Despite having experienced fame, fortune, and beauty in her past, it remains a mystery why she ultimately chooses to do something so dangerous for the old man at the end of the film.

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Vincent S.

@Vin_E_At_The_Movies Nov 12, 2025

A small treasure of a Character study and crime classic with outstanding performances by Burt Lancaster and Susan Sarandon who announced her arrival here. Atlantic City becomes a third character in this small masterpiece.

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Convention D

@RT76878079 Apr 3, 2025

If you where ever in Atlantic City in the late 1980's this about the way it was. Great Cast, Burt is my cousin,. Realistic. A Street City movie.

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Louis Malle

Director

Burt Lancaster

Lou

Susan Sarandon

Sally

Kate Reid

Grace

Michel Piccoli

Joseph

Hollis McLaren

Chrissie

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Synopsis

When Sally Matthews (Susan Sarandon) leaves her Canadian home to relocate to Atlantic City, she aspires to a prosperous career in the gambling industry. With her criminal husband (Robert Joy) on her trail, however, it appears that she can't escape from trouble, until she finds an unlikely savior in Lou Pascal (Burt Lancaster), an aging small-time mobster. By becoming involved with Sally, Lou finds a way to achieve the success he's dreamed of, but his plan may endanger both their lives.

Director: Louis Malle
Producer: Denis Héroux, Gabriel Boustani, Justine Heroux
Screenwriter: John Guare
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Paramount, Selta Films
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 3, 1981, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 25, 2010
Runtime: 1h 44m

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