--- title: "Atlantic City: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/atlantic-city/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/atlantic-city" critics_score: 83 critics_reviews: 8 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Atlantic City (1980): what the critics said Critics' score 83 from 8 reviews: 8 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative. The reviews are uniformly positive, with praise centred on Burt Lancaster’s ageing small-time crook: critics repeatedly pick out his dignity, desperation and capacity for tenderness. Susan Sarandon also draws praise, particularly for her chemistry with Lancaster. Most critics find warmth in the film’s treatment of people living among the resort’s fading promises. Malle and Guare’s blend of crime, romance and comedy is another point of agreement, while the changing city earns attention as more than a backdrop. The differences are chiefly in enthusiasm rather than in stated objections, with scores ranging from 75 to 90. The New Yorker stresses the originality of the comic tone and the depth of feeling; The AV Club offers the more modest praise of a gentle, warm, well-acted film that is easy to like. No review here mounts a substantial dissent or identifies a recurring weakness. ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 4 December 2005. Ebert praises the film's gentle, sweet tone and the dignity Lancaster brings to his aging numbers runner character. He singles out the tender, subtle dynamic between Lou and Sally as particularly moving amid the decaying city setting. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-atlantic-city-1980) ## The New Yorker — Pauline Kael Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 6 April 1981. Kael lauds Lancaster's expressive, magnificent performance as the standout element and celebrates the rich, original comic tone achieved through the collaboration between Malle and Guare. She notes the film's lyrical grace and depth of feeling. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1981/04/06/chancefate) ## The New York Times — Vincent Canby Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 3 April 1981. Canby calls the film a rich, romantic and perverse ghost story set in a haunted city, beautiful and squalid in equal measure. He highlights the excellent ensemble performances, especially Lancaster and Sarandon, and the mythic quality of the Atlantic City created by Malle and Guare. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1981/04/03/movies/screen-atlantic-city-louis-malle-ghost-story.html) ## Time Out — GA Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2012. The film is an eclectic mix of crime thriller, love story and fairytale, offering a generous look at fading aspects of American culture. Burt Lancaster delivers a career-best performance as an ageing petty crook who finds self-respect amid seedy lives and romantic dreams, set against the decaying resort town. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/atlantic-city) ## The AV Club — Noel Murray Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 2 September 2015. The critic describes the film as a gentle, warm, well-acted movie that is easy to like. It highlights the shared Venice Golden Lion win with Gloria and the film's five Oscar nominations. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/louis-malle-teams-a-young-susan-sarandon-with-an-aging-1798283835) ## The Times — Ed Potton Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 16 August 2008. Malle’s romantic crime drama follows struggling souls in the declining casino resort of the title. Lancaster, in one of his last great roles, melds faded nobility with desperation as a former gangster whose fortunes take an upswing when he crosses paths with an opportunistic hippy. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/sport/football/article/atlantic-city-czjg3q3wnq8) ## Eye for Film — Jeff Robson Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 30 July 2008. The critic praises this reissued classic as one of Malle's finest works and a standout foreign take on American gangster mythology, highlighting its subtle exploration of complex relationships and unfulfilled lives. Lancaster's charismatic performance as the ageing small-time gangster is singled out as the standout element, making the film ripe for rediscovery. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/atlantic-city-film-review-by-jeff-robson) ## Collider — Zach Laws Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 28 June 2025. The critic praises Atlantic City as a strong showcase for its leads and a poignant look at changing times through a European lens on American stories. Lancaster and Sarandon's chemistry and the film's capture of the city's transformation stand out as highlights. [Read the review](https://collider.com/susan-sarandon-burt-lancaster-atlantic-city/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/atlantic-city.md