The Gambler: The Adventure Continues (1983)

Brady Hawkes (Kenny Rogers) and new friend Billy Montana (Bruce Boxleitner) are debating whether to head to San Francisco for an all-star poker tournament when their train is robbed by Charlie McCourt (Mitch Ryan) and his gang.

Since railroad owner Arthur Stobridge doesn’t have any of his millions on board, McCourt decides to take Brady’s son as a hostage — a hostage he says will be turned over safely when he’s given $1 million from Stobridge’s bank.

But Stobridge soon makes it clear that he agreed to that deal to buy Hawkes time; he really doesn’t intend to turn over $1 million of his own money to save another man’s son.

So Brady and Billy set out in pursuit, forming their own gang that includes an explosives expert named Wichita, a whiz with a rope named Masket, a knife-thrower extradordinare named Reese and a female bounty hunter (Linda Evans as Kate Muldoon).

Brady’s able to convince them to join because there’s a $40,000 bounty on McCourt’s head and a total bounty of $100,000 for him and his gang.

But it’s a dangerous bunch they’re after and they need to catch up with McCourt and rescue Brady’s son before he reaches Jubilee, where the exchange is supposed to take place.

And Brady soon begins to wonder if he can trust everyone in his own gang, especially pretty Miss Kate Muldoon.

Review:

After the ratings success of the first “Gambler” film, CBS decided to turn the second installment into a two-part mini-series.

The result is a drawn-out mess that serves up a little of “Big Jake” (1971), a little of “Hannie Caulder” (1970), a bit of “The Magnificent Seven” (1960) and some ill-advised comic elements that detract from the desperate mission our heroes are supposed to be on.

Cameron Mitchell has an interesting role as a Princeton-educated lawyer who wound up a drunkard and is now part of McCourt’s gang. He’s given the task of looking after Hawke’s son and quickly begins to sympathize with the fiesty youngest.

Ah, but then there’s the Kate Muldoon character played by Linda Gray. Let’s see, we meet her singing in a saloon. But she turns out to be a female bounty hunter. She’s rescued from a hanging by Brady and his boys because she’s so deadly the sheriff wanted to make an example of her.

So she joins up with Hawkes. Except she sneaks off to meet McCourt and agrees to do whatever possible to slow down Hawke’s pursuit of the outlaw in exchange for part of the $1 million in ransom money.

It turns out she’s turned bounty hunter so she can afford to pay Pinkertons to find her long-lost son. That son was taken from her shortly after birth by a pastor because he was born a bastard.

The child’s father: McCourt, of course. Oh, my.

Speaking of oh, my, you might note that Brady Hawkes’ crippling knee injury from the war mysteriously fixed itself between the first and second of the five Gambler films.

Directed by:
Dick Lowry

Cast:
Kenny Rogers … Brady Hawkes
Bruce Boxleitner … Billy Montana
Linda Evans … Kate Muldoon
Cameron Mitchell … Col. Greeley
Mitch Ryan … Charlie McCourt
Johnny Crawford … Pete Masket
Charles Fields … Jeremiah
Brion James … Reese
Ken Swofford … Wichita Pike
Paul Koslo … Holt
Robert Hoy … Juno
David Hedison … Carson
Gregory Sierra … Silvera

Runtime: 180 min.

Memorable lines:

Billy Montana: “Sometimes, a guy has to make a gamble beyond any poker table.”
Brady Hawkes: “I wish I had said that.”

Col. Greeley to Holt, trying to convince him to return a woman’s looking glass he’s about to steal: “Anyone with a face as ugly as yours should avoid looking into mirrors.”

Charlie McCourt: “What’s the matter with you, Greeley? You do know what we are, don’t you? We’re outlaws.”
Col. Greeley: “Yes, Mr. McCourt. But I had hoped outlaws with stature.”

Wichita, when Brady Hawkes recruits him to track down McCourt: “I know hell’s waiting for us, Brady. But I ain’t in no particular hurry to get there.”

Rawlins deputy: “If you fellas are still around, right after the hangin’ there’ll be a barn dance.”

Wichita of Kate Muldoon: “What do you think her play is?”
Brady Hawkes: “I don’t know. Everytime I’ve ever tried to figure out a woman, I wish I’d never even tried.”

Reese: “Hawkes, you ain’t never gonna catch McCourt cause you ain’t as mean as he is.”
Brady Hawkes: “I’ll get him alright. Because there’s a time to be mean, and a time to be smart.”

Kate Muldoon, to Witchita, after he’s been hit by a bullet: “You alright?”
Wichita: “Yeah, it’s the left (wooden) leg. Woodpeckers have done worse.”

Brion James as Reese, the knife expert in Brady Hawkes’ posse in The Gambler — The Adventure Continues (1983)

Johnny Crawford as Pete Masket, the rope expert in Brady Hawkes’ posse in The Gambler — The Adventure Continues (1983)

Harold Gould as Arthur Stobridge, the rich railroad owner who has no intention of paying the ransom for Hawkes’ son in The Gambler — The Adventure Continues (1983)

Gregory Sierra as Silvera, one of Charlie McCourt’s top henchmen, finding himself in a jam in The Gambler — The Adventure Continues (1983)

Linda Evans as Kate Muldoon, springing a surprise in The Gambler — The Adventure Continues (1983)

Bruce Boxleitner as Billy Montana, posing as a prospector to help Brady out of a jam in The Gambler — The Adventure Continues (1983)