Check out that re-imaged cover art. James Earl Jones looked like a buffoon in this...Whether you call this money, The Vegas Casino War, or the Vegas Strip War, it all means pretty mediocre yet oddly engrossing stuff. Anyway, Rock Hudson played a wheeler dealer named Neil Caines or as Mr. Dyslexic saw it, Nick Cannes. He was a money man who owned a lot of Vegas property and was even in talks to buy the Sanford Arms. The movie was full of glitz, glamour, gambling and total BS. Being a dude with a lot of spending change, he had his share of friends and (da da da) enemies. Oh noes!
"We've got a couple more scenes and this will all be over..."Caines fortunes rose and fall so much you didn't care. Hudson didn't seem to in many scenes either. While Rock was basically coasting here, most of the action came from an actually interesting supporting cast. Pat Morita played a gambling addict and boy, was he laying it on thick here. James Earl Jones turned in a shameful performance as Don King clone Jack Madrid. Not all of this was bad. A young Sharon Stone shows up as Sarah Shipman, a vague character to be sure.You know, I had forgotten how attractive and different she was. Flash up 25 odd years and she's pretty much certifiable.
Back to Rock and this barker. By the movie's end everything magically fell into place. Rock's money woes were alleviated by a bunch of Asian tourists who were insane gambling fiends. Rock had such a string of good luck, he was carrying money in a glass case (WTF?) and it was enough to shut up Jack Madrid and his fool mouth.
Elephant In the Room: Oh yes, there is it. This was Rock's last TV movie. Released in 1984 on NBC, Hudson wasn't in great shape in some of these scenes.
Looks insane. **1/2
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