Cause of death: savage gutting; crime weapon: playing cards. The Cincinnati kid (Steve McQueen) is a prodigy of the stud poker game, but is he going to dethrone the most reputable player of all, “the man” himself (G. Robinson)? And will the earnest dealer and friend of both (Karl Malden) remain impartial? A dream cast at the service of a minimal though sharp story. As far as scripting goes, sometimes less is more – it makes every action, though innocuous it may seem, actually loaded with meaning. By the time the twist-in-the-tail ending slams down ruthlessly, we reel back & ponder the forces that drove to the fateful outcome. The writing was on the wall, we just weren't inclined to read.