Havana

Havana

Year: 1990

Runtime: 144 mins

Language: English

Director: Sydney Pollack

Budget: $40M

RomanceDrama

A distrustful high‑stakes gambler lands in revolutionary Cuba, drawn to the perilous streets of the city where he hopes to win big at poker. There he encounters a daring woman who has risked everything, the wife of a Communist revolutionary, and a fierce passion ignites between them despite the danger surrounding their city.

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Timeline & Setting – Havana (1990)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Havana (1990). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

1958-1963

The action begins on Christmas Eve 1958 as the island teeters on the brink of revolution. It culminates with the revolution's victory on New Year’s Eve 1959 and later follows events four years on in 1963 along the Florida Keys, as Weil eyes Havana from afar.

Location

Miami, Havana, Cuba

Set across Miami and Havana, the story moves from a bustling port to the glittering casino scene of Havana. The Cuban capital is depicted as a playground for wealth, power, and political intrigue on the cusp of revolution. The places serve as stages for gambling, espionage, and romance that drive the plot.

🌊 Coastal 🏙️ Urban 🗺️ Historic

Last Updated: December 03, 2025 at 23:54

Main Characters – Havana (1990)

Meet the key characters of Havana (1990), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Jack Weil (Robert Redford)

A sharp, charming American gambler who navigates Havana’s casino world with improvisational wit. He becomes entwined with Roberta’s mission to aid the revolution, agreeing to help only out of romantic interest. Throughout the story he risks wealth and safety, undergoing a personal transformation shaped by the upheaval.

🎭 Charismatic 🎲 Gambler ❤️ Romantic

Roberta Duran (Lena Olin)

A determined Cuban-American woman drawn into the revolutionary cause through personal ties and danger. Her romance with Weil complicates loyalties as she navigates arrest, torture, and shifting allegiances. She ultimately chooses to stay with the revolution and follow her husband’s fate.

🎭 Determined ❤️ Love 🧭 Conflicted

Arturo Duran (uncredited) (Ral Juliá)

A Cuban revolutionary leader and Roberta’s husband whose fate drives much of the plot’s urgency. He is arrested and presumed dead in a newspaper account, later revealed to be alive, complicating Weil’s efforts to rescue him. He embodies the personal cost within the broader political struggle.

🔥 Revolutionary 🎭 Husband 🧭 Strategic

Joe Volpi (Tony Plana)

The Havana casino boss whose operations intersect with Weil’s schemes. He forgives Weil’s big night of gambling, understanding the rescue of Roberta as worth more than the payoff. He embodies the pragmatic, morally flexible side of the casino world.

🎰 Casino 🏦 Leader 🧭 Opportunist

Marion Chigwell (Richard Portnow)

An American CIA contact who shuttles information and legitimacy between Weil and the Cuban players. She becomes entangled in the rescue plan, pressing Weil to act while masking her own agenda. Her involvement underscores the international dimensions of the intrigue.

🕵️‍♀️ Agent 🎭 Ally 🧭 Strategist

Meyer Lansky (Mark Rydell)

A real-life figure depicted as a key influence in Havana’s casino ecosystem. His presence signals the entwinement of crime, politics, and international finance in the city’s underworld. His role underscores the era’s murky power dynamics that shape the plot.

💼 Financier 🎭 Historical Figure 🧭 Influential

Last Updated: December 03, 2025 at 23:54

Major Themes – Havana (1990)

Explore the central themes of Havana (1990), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

❤️ Romance

A central romance threads through Weil and Roberta, influencing risky decisions and blurring lines between personal desire and political obligation. Weil pursues Roberta, risking his own safety to protect her and the revolution’s broader aims. The romance shapes key choices, including sheltering her and planning an escape.

🔥 Revolution

The Cuban upheaval frames the entire narrative, turning casinos, crime networks, and expatriates into chess pieces. The fall of Batista’s regime and the escape rush reveal how quickly society can transform when political power shifts. Characters confront loyalties as the old order expires and a new Cuba emerges.

🎲 Gambling

Gambling is not just a business but a metaphor for risk, deception, and leverage. Weil’s poker games and the diamond-as-insurance drive the plot and expose the moral costs of chasing fortune. The casino world tests characters’ nerve, trust, and capacity to sacrifice for others.

Last Updated: December 03, 2025 at 23:54

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Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Revolutionary Romance Movies like Havana

Passionate affairs that burn brightly against the backdrop of political upheaval.If you were captivated by the ill-fated passion in Havana, explore more movies like it. This collection features intense romantic dramas set against political revolutions, where love and duty collide, leading to powerful stories of sacrifice and bittersweet endings.

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Narrative Summary

These narratives center on a love affair that becomes entangled with a larger political struggle. The protagonists, often from opposing sides or with conflicting commitments, find their relationship tested by danger, betrayal, and the overwhelming forces of history, typically concluding with a profound sense of loss.

Why These Movies?

These films are grouped by their core premise of a high-stakes romance set within a volatile political landscape. They share a heavy emotional weight, a melancholic tone, and explore themes of sacrifice, moral ambiguity, and the high personal cost of idealism.

Movies about Cynical Outsiders like Havana

A disillusioned loner finds purpose through a dangerous connection in a troubled land.Fans of the gambler protagonist in Havana will enjoy similar films featuring cynical loners who find redemption. Discover movies like Havana where a self-serving character is transformed by love or sacrifice in a corrupt and dangerous environment, leading to a heavy emotional journey.

cynicalredemptionmorally ambiguousatmosphericlonersacrificetransformativedisillusioned

Narrative Summary

The narrative follows a world-weary individual who operates by their own code, detached from the struggles around them. Their encounter with a cause or a person of fierce conviction forces them to confront their own emptiness. The arc is one of moral reawakening, often culminating in a significant sacrifice that redefines their life, even if it ends in loss.

Why These Movies?

This thread connects films through a specific character archetype and their emotional journey. They share a steady, character-driven pace, a high-intensity atmosphere of risk, and a bittersweet conclusion where the protagonist is redeemed but pays a heavy personal price.

Unlock the Full Story of Havana

Don't stop at just watching — explore Havana in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Havana is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Havana Summary

Read a complete plot summary of Havana, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

Havana Summary

Havana Timeline

Track the full timeline of Havana with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

Havana Timeline

Havana Spoiler-Free Summary

Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of Havana that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.

Havana Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Havana

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about Havana: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

More About Havana

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