Flashback: When the Babbitt Boys Jacked the Palace

There’s a point in Rain Man, roughly two-thirds of the way through its oft-sluggish reel, where the juice kicks in and launches this Dustin Hoffman-Tom Cruise classic into high gear.

It comes with the epiphany of Charlie Babbitt (Cruise) that his autistic brother (Hoffman) could indeed hold the key to the golden treasures of nearby Sin City. As the ’49 Buick rolls toward Las Vegas Boulevard, the silver-tongued Charlie lays it all out for big bro. “Casinos have house rules,” he lectures. “Number one is that they don’t like to lose.”

After sprucing up with haircuts and nifty Armani threads (because let’s face it – Kmart sucks), the Babbitt brothers take on the brass of Caesar’s Palace against the backdrop of spinning wheels and bleeping one-armed bandits.

Descending upon the action via escalator, the tandem locates the one vacant blackjack table that seemingly holds their destiny. All the while, Ray soaks in the surrounding vibrance, knowing this joint beats the bejesus out of Wallbrook.

“Rain Man,” invites Charlie, “let’s play some cards.”

And lest we forget…

One chip for bad. Two chips for good. 

After a brief hiccup in which he hits on eighteen, Ray informs Charlie that the queens remain in heavy supply (“there’s lots and lots of them”), prompting the latter to double down on his ante. As Charlie triumphantly rakes in his take, the Hans Zimmer score ramps up the action, and the Babbitt stash begins its gradual rise toward the stratosphere.

With the epic rally underway, what ensues is the kind of adrenaline-fueled, dreamlike sequence that every gamer can only fantasize.

“You’re doing well,” the portly dealer concedes. “I’m very happy for you.”

As the spectators swell into a full-scale mob, the suits turn to the Eye in the Sky for answers to the inexplainable – how in holy Hell could anyone count into a six-deck shoe?

A sparkly distraction intervenes in the form of a floozy named Iris (only the lure of cheap sex can top that of a monster score), culminating in a sharp warning to Charlie from casino management:

Hit the road, jack, and take the goofball with you.

As the Babbitt boys waltz over the horizon in all their card-counting glory, that ten-minute shot of nitro is perhaps the single finest slice of gambling in cinematic history – and among the very finest of Cruise’s sensational career. Not even Tom’s need for speed or handling of the truth can trump this 1988 dandy. In fact, an Oscar triumph secures Cooperstown status for this gem of yesteryear.

But for gaming fanatics, does Rain Man stack up with the climactic Damon-Malkovich showdown of Rounders?

Yeeeeeeah.

Does it one-up the deadly Bond-Le Chiffre poker showdown in Montenegro?

Yeeeeeeah.

When it comes to gambling euphoria, just how does Rain Man score amongst its Tinseltown peers?

We’re laying two chips for good.

- TB