Feature Movie Description... continued.
Atlantic City - 1980
A woman leaves her abusive, drug-selling husband, taking her pregnant sister with her. An ex-mobster, caring for the widow of an old crony, watches her. The husband returns with heroin and tries to enlist the ex-mobster's help in tracking her down, but the gang who are after the drug dealer close in on the estranged wife. The husband is eventually found and murdered by the gang who then go after the wife thinking she has hidden the heroin. The ex-mobster helps her by killing the men after her in a peculiar act of courage. She then takes off leaving her him behind to take up with the sister. The legalization of gambling in Atlantic City radically changes the life of Lou (Burt Lancaster), an aging small-time numbers runner. Infatuated with his waitress neighbor Sally (Susan Sarandon), Lou still holds on to the dream that he will one day be a high stakes player in organized crime. But when Sally's ex-husband turns up with a large amount of high quality cocaine in his possession, then is quickly murdered, Lou finally gets his chance to become involved with big money and the mob--getting closer to the woman of his dreams in the process. Louis Malle's heartfelt, character-driven drama, with a script by playwright John Guare (SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION), is full of great performances.