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Havana

Play trailer Poster for Havana R Released Dec 12, 1990 2h 25m Romance Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
28% Tomatometer 25 Reviews 57% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Jack Weil (Robert Redford), a professional gambler, enjoys the hedonistic lifestyle of Batista's Cuba, where he is organizing a crucial poker game that could make or break him. He meets seductive Bobby Duran (Lena Olin) and is surprised that she, a wealthy woman, is aiding Fidel Castro and his communist rebels. Apolitical Jack doesn't usually take sides, but after Bobby and her husband, Arturo (Raul Julia), are arrested, he contemplates risking everything to help their cause.
Havana

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Handsomely produced and dramatically inert, Havana squanders its convincing recreation of pre-revolution Cuba by using it as a disconnected backdrop to a turgid romance.

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Critics Reviews

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Owen Gleiberman Entertainment Weekly Rated: B+ Sep 7, 2011 Full Review Angie Errigo Empire Magazine The central pair's shattering, once-in-a-lifetime passion cries out for more urgency and emotional power. Rated: 3/5 May 26, 2008 Full Review Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader Elaborate visual mounting and iconographic placement of the romantic leads are the movie's preoccupation, with the overthrow of Batista merely providing local color. May 26, 2008 Full Review Rene Jordan El Nuevo Herald (Miami) This is simply an overwhelmingly dumb and boring. [Full review in Spanish] Nov 24, 2022 Full Review Film4 Staff Film4 Handsomely produced, with a typically mesmerizing performance by Redford, alas this fails to exploit its intriguing political background and ends up being more of a routine and ineffective romance. May 26, 2008 Full Review TV Guide Unfortunately, against that impressive backdrop, Pollack mounts a film that is lifeless and slow-moving, offering neither a compelling love story nor a tense tale of a city in turmoil. Rated: 2/4 May 26, 2008 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (87) audience reviews
Bob M One of the most enjoyable movies I have ever seen. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/31/23 Full Review red t Super Disappointed that how underwhelming and not good this is. The acting is actually one of the only consistent things with this. It's good throughout with solid chemistry between the two leads with Redford being the best thing in this. He is consistently good. In addition, the Cinematography is well done also with well framed shots and nice sets and locations. And that sums up this films main problem really well, every scene is well shot and well acted but the problem is when you start putting it together it doesn't form a strong cohesive story. The editing is Bad in this because it loses focus by a huge amount in the middle. Is this Jack's Story about his gambling? Is it about the Civil War? Havana? The Love Interest? This film never is able to strike a consistent tone. And that leads to really bad pacing. This film NEVER builds any tension or emotional investment despite the good acting because it never forms a cohesive story because of the lack of focus and just moves at a SUPER slow pace because its bloated with too many scenes and just sort of ends. I expected a lot of action with the fall of the regime but it just ended. If this would've had a significant amount of scenes cut and had more action instead of slow expose love scenes than this could have been significantly better because the plot isn't flawed it's just really lacking any focus and pacing. Skip This It's Not Good. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Always been one of my favorite movies. While Redford was admittedly advanced for the part, his grizzled, worn and weary vibe still fit the aims and ambitions of the character, Jack Weil. Taking place in a time and era very much in flux, I thought the movie did an amazing job balancing the political and social intrigue of the time with the romance at the heart of the movie. While the world shifts under their feet, following devastating events for Bobby and opposing Weil's ultimate goal at untold riches, their undeniable attraction provides them a glimpse to something greater than they'd ever considered before. Somewhat of a history buff, I believe we can legitimately look back at these last days of 1959 in Cuba as a lynchpin for everything that followed, starting when Castro scared President Batista off on his plane, changing history forever. In the end, these are two people finding themselves in the middle of something so much bigger than themselves, and this movie allows you to follow their story as they make their way through it. Many say this is simply a rip-off of Bogart and Bergman's Casablanca. If that's the standard the film has been raised to, well, they can take that as the ultimate compliment. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review steve d Boring and unromantic. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Sydney Pollack, Robert Redford. The critical reviews are hogwash. Great show. Doesn't pander to the inexperienced. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Audience Member Robert Redford looks a bit weathered in this one, but less weathered when he takes on 2 American foxes half his age in a menage a trois after viewing a Live Sex show in downtown Havana. This seems out of sorts in a Redford movie, I mean the soft porn angle, but all goes back on track in Gatsby-like fashion when he falls for the sultry Bobby character played by the former beauty queen Lena Olin. The director seems fascinated with Olin's smoldering eyes and pouty lips because the close-ups come fast and furious. Is this a match made in Heaven? The meandering script makes me thing "What in the World is Going On?" as I try to dig into memory banks about what exactly went on in the Bay of Pigs and how is what I'm seeing related. I fear the script is flawed historically, and why have the Cubans of Wealth and power suddenly not scrambling around after Bautista flees when Fidel takes control Havana? This flick has a few good moments but disappoints overall and is somewhat boring. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 01/15/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Havana

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Movie Info

Synopsis Jack Weil (Robert Redford), a professional gambler, enjoys the hedonistic lifestyle of Batista's Cuba, where he is organizing a crucial poker game that could make or break him. He meets seductive Bobby Duran (Lena Olin) and is surprised that she, a wealthy woman, is aiding Fidel Castro and his communist rebels. Apolitical Jack doesn't usually take sides, but after Bobby and her husband, Arturo (Raul Julia), are arrested, he contemplates risking everything to help their cause.
Director
Sydney Pollack
Producer
Sydney Pollack, Richard A. Roth
Screenwriter
Judith Rascoe, David Rayfiel
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Production Co
Mirage Enterprises
Rating
R
Genre
Romance
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 12, 1990, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 1, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA)
$8.8M
Runtime
2h 25m
Sound Mix
Surround