Stacy's Knights

This is a pretty bad movie, unless you happen to like blackjack movies. Even so, it's still a pretty lousy movie.

An emotionally unstable acting student takes her pain-in-the-rear acting teacher on a spur-the-moment "I'm going to get rich playing blackjack!" adventure and gets picked up by a casino coaching Kevin Costner. The whole acting thing never gets brought up again, by the way. Without enough knowledge about the card game, it's hardly a gambling movie. And with the classic "I got a makeover but I'm still not really that pretty" scene, it's hardly a romance. Oh, and don't forget about the "let's laugh and throw snowballs at each other" scene, and the "let's dance like goofy kids in an 80s country dive bar" scene.

Pretty much the only redeeming part of the film is getting to see Kevin Costner in a cowboy hat, smirking and saying, "Hot diggity!" That's it. Save yourself 90 minutes and just imagine it.

My review was written in May 1984 after watching the movie on Vestron video cassette.

"Stacy's Knights" is a stillborn feature attempt to dramatize average people's hopes for hitting the jackpot in the casino world of blackjack. Filmed in 1982 under the more appropriate (if uncommercial) title of "Double Down", pic was marginally released theatrically last year but is more suitable as low-key tv fare.

Weak cast is led by Andra Millian as Stacy, a shy young girl (termed a "mouse" by the casino surveillance staff) who goes to Reno with her drama school teacher Jean (Eve Lilith) to make a killing at the "21" tables. There they meet Will (Kevin Costner), a local boy with a fancy hat, who recognizes Stacy's card sense and amazing memory and suggests the trio go into partnership to break the bank at a casino run by nasty Shecky Poole (Mike Reynolds).

Both before and after the requisite training sequence, Stacy is met by a "knockout" put on her by Shecky: ordering his best blackjack dealer to get rid of the player by cheating. Will, whose dad was a famous cardsharp, takes Stacy to a guru-like expert known as The Kid (Ed Semenza) to learn the almost mystical secrets of counting in blackjack.

After the baddies get rid of Will, Stacy organizes a team of players to execute a "The Sting"-style assault on Shecky's casino, successfully taking home $611,000 in winnings.

Film's major failing is the absence of excitement or suspense during the gambling scenes, mechanically directed by Jim Wilson. Low-budget opus includes dated romantic montages and an unfortunate use of voice-over exposition laid in during transition driving-around footage.

Cast is inadequate, with lead Millian failing to blossom, even when she cornily removes her specs and is supposed to be glamorous (she later does an okay male-drag routine with moustache added to fool casino authorities). Costar Kevin Costner is a comfortable, engaging young performer in an underwritten role, who has since landed leading roles in "St. Louis Square" and upcoming Warner Brothers releases "Fandango" and "American Flyer". Tech credits are satisfactory.

This is an absolutely delightful tale of a gifted but shy young woman who, with the help of two mentors, transforms herself into a confident and unstoppable juggernaut in one particular Reno casino. When I first saw the film, I immediately had a crush on Andra Millian (plays Stacey). She pulled off this personality transformation beautifully and was certainly noticed here. She later was a regular in two TV series - "The Paper Chase" in the 70s and "thirtysomething" in the 90s. Andra still acts occasionally - most recently in the 2007 film "Teeth" - but is now a full-time licensed acupuncturist in Austin, Texas. And, Kevin Costner did a good job as Stacey's first mentor, Will. His performance in this film, not to mention "Testament" filmed the same year, undoubtedly contributed to his rise to prominence in Hollywood.

But, suspension of disbelief is needed to enjoy this film. You must be willing to believe that casino managers would do what they did to Will (no, won't tell) just because he coached Stacey. And, you must be willing to believe that Jean Dennison (played by Eve Lilith) could seduce Shecky Poole. But, if you can suspend this disbelief, you'll enjoy this film as a triumph of the ordinary person against the odds.

P.S. I found it odd that the film was available in Canada on DVD but only on "used" VHS tapes in the U.S. Since I wanted this unique film in my collection, I ordered it from Amazon.ca.

Pretty amateur effort at making a gambling movie. I recently watched the impressive Molly's Game, also with Kevin Costner and he probably took that job to compensate for this earlier turkey. The copy I watched on Amazon was grainy with a very poor leading lady in Andra Millian who may have got better later in her career, I don't know, I wasn't at all familiar with her work but she's the opposite of Kevin Costner, her co-star here, who was a superstar within a few years. Costner is the only reason to watch it although the story isn't actually that bad, just the overall feel that it's amateur.

I gave this a 9 based on watching it 40 years after it was Released because had i watched it back in 1983 it wouldn't have had the same effect that it does some 4 decades later and comparing Kevin Costners Screen Presents and Mannerisms to His Films Post The 1990's this was a treat to watch including all of its low budget editing and 1970's flair almost like a cross between Tarantino and paul thomas anderson as far as being taken through a time machine of what 1970's films had blended with an early 1980's vibe

See this one if for anything to enjoy a Vintage Kevin Costner Rookie Film Before He Even Was on The Radar !