''Cheaters'' () is a 1984

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Barbet Schroeder Barbet Schroeder (born 26 August 1941) is an Iranian-born Swiss film director and producer who started his career in French cinema in the 1960s, working with directors of the French New Wave such as Jean-Luc Godard, Jacques Rivette and Eric Rohm ...

. Starring

Jacques Dutronc Jacques Dutronc (; born 28 April 1943) is a French singer, songwriter, guitarist, composer, and actor. Some of Dutronc's best-known hits include " Il est cinq heures, Paris s'éveille" (which AllMusic has called "his finest hour"), "Le Responsa ...

and

Bulle Ogier Bulle Ogier (born Marie-France Thielland; 9 August 1939) is a French actress and screenwriter. Career She adopted the professional surname Ogier, which was her mother's maiden name. Her first appearance on screen was in ''Voilà l'Ordre'', a s ...

, it tells the story of two gamblers, a man and a woman, who team up in a casino and eventually realise that, however clever you think you are, you will always lose unless you cheat.

Plot

Elric, who lives in Madeira on his erratic winnings at roulette, is attracted to Suzie, another gambler, but succumbs to the persuasion of Jorg, a third gambler who has a system for cheating. Abandoning Suzie, he embarks on a worldwide tour with Jorg, their method being to move in and after a quick coup to move on fast. In an Italian casino he sees Suzie and the two start a romance. Abandoning Jorg, the couple go back to Madeira with a system that Elric has devised. A croupier is bribed to use a radio-controlled ball, which Suzie operates from a transmitter in a cigarette packet. The first night they try it, Elric has three huge wins in succession and, losing his head, then loses the lot. Deeply upset at his stupidity, Suzie says she will only continue if she places the bets and he operates the transmitter. After another huge coup, Elric immediately flies to France with a case full of their winnings and Suzie follows later. They meet up at the chateau he has bought, where his father used to be an employee.

Cast

as Elric *

as Suzie * Kurt Raab as Jorg, the professional cheat * Virgílio Teixeira as Toni, the corrupt croupier

Reception

In ''The New York Times'' Vincent Canby called it "a long overdue treat", "another entertaining, weirdly elegant tale about people moving too fast, living too intensely, along the thin line that separates elation from despair.''"'' ''The Los Angeles Times'' said it is "an existential love story that also laments the loss of honor and meaning in contemporary life."

References

External links

* 1984 films 1984 crime drama films French crime drama films Films produced by Margaret Ménégoz Films directed by Barbet Schroeder 1980s French films Films scored by Peer Raben German crime drama films 1980s German films West German films Portuguese drama films Les Films du Losange films Films with screenplays by Pascal Bonitzer {{1980s-drama-film-stub