The island of Cuba is a long way from Morocco, but in Sydney Pollack's film of the same name the city of Havana isn't too far removed from 'Casablanca'. The two films share a similar exotic locale, the same shady intrigue, and an all too familiar bittersweet romance. All that's missing are Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet, but what's surprising about Pollack's film is how well it stands up under the comparison. Robert Redford portrays a tough and charismatic (if slightly disreputable) gambler who drifts into the decadent Cuban capital during the last, desperate days of the Battista regime, and it's a pleasure to watch him playing, for once, a character without a built-in halo. The foreign intrigue, played against a background of political unrest, is perfectly suited to the swinging tropical setting, but the romance between Redford and beautiful revolutionary Lena Olin isn't as convincing. Don't blame the talented cast; the script lets them down too often during the last half of the film, undermining an otherwise attractive and entertaining bit of high-grade, escapist fluff.

It's the last days of 1958 and the Batista dictatorship in Cuba. Jack Weil (Robert Redford) is a professional card player on a boat to Havana. He is recruited by Roberta (Lena Olin) to smuggle radios for the revolutionaries. He's in love with her but she's married to revolt leader Dr. Duran (Raul Julia). The Durans are arrested and Dr. Duran is reported killed. Weil's poker game happens to be against the head of the secret police. He manages to win her release in their game.

Director Sydney Pollack is trying to make his version of Casablanca. The problem is that I'm not in love with this love. Casablanca is an iconic romantic film. This is a movie of lust rather than romance. It's different aspects of love although the movie ends with similar sacrifices. I understand this love story but I'm not in love with it. There is also the glowing lighting. Aside from the bright daylight, even night interiors have the glowing back light for Redford. He's the American savior. Redford has 50% too much of that boyish smile and needs 100% more desperation. He is too slick and too polished. There is this gloss of the Cuban casino world that is slightly off-putting considering the dark times being portrayed. Pollack is going for an epic glossy romance. I'm not in that mood.

It often seems like some critics chastise Sydney Pollack for inserting too much political commentary into his movies. "Havana" would be a prime example. It features frequent Pollack star Robert Redford* as a gambler who goes to Cuba's capital during the last few days of 1958, when the revolution is about to triumph. On the way there, he meets Lena Olin, the wife of revolutionary fighter Raul Julia. Over the course of the movie, Redford and Olin not only develop a relationship, but he comes to understand why the revolution is happening.

Maybe the movie does go just a little overboard on politicking. But I would like to pose a question: are we supposed to focus on these sorts of things and totally ignore politics? Would the world be a better place if everyone just blindly accepted every piece of government propaganda? Because it seems to me that part of democracy is that people are supposed to challenge the government if they think that the latter is lying. Therefore, I have to commend Sydney Pollack for doing that in "Havana".

Another thing is that it seems like this movie was a semi-remake of Richard Lester's "Cuba", starring Sean Connery as a British agent sent there on the verge of the revolution's triumph and discovering the status quo. Even if it is, I still recommend it.

Also starring Alan Arkin (his character is very likely to make your skin crawl) and Richard Farnsworth.

*Interestingly, they haven't collaborated since this movie.