CROUPIER A film review by Steve Rhodes Copyright 2000 Steve Rhodes RATING (0 TO ****): ***
Jack Manfred (Clive Owen) is a cool operator who naively thinks that he always has everything under control. Mike Hodges's CROUPIER, based on a sharply written script by Paul Mayersberg, centers around Jack and his alter ego, Jake. Jack is a writer who has taken a job as a casino dealer ("croupier" in British parlance) in order to get some exciting source material for a novel. The protagonist in Jack's book is Jake, whom he models on himself, working at his new job.
It is hard to delineate exactly where Jack ends and Jake begins, but the main difference is that Jack has a strong respect for rules and a belief in the importance of honesty, whereas Jake has more malleable morals. The beauty of the script is Jack's constant, third-person voice-over, as he writes his novel in real-time based on his experiences in the gaming industry.
Although bearing a passing similarity to REINDEER GAMES, CASINO and ROUNDERS, CROUPIER's story isn't the least bit derivative. With a sleek look and feel, the movie has stylish atmospherics and a detached approach that is a far cry from the typical in-your-face Hollywood production. The characters are intriguing, but they never feel the need to beg you to like them or to insult you to get you emotionally hooked. The intricate plot doesn't require any knowledge whatsoever of gambling, and such insight information might be a detriment anyway, causing you to pay too much attention to uninteresting minutia.
The ever-present voice-over by a dour protagonist is reminiscent of John Cusack's part in HIGH FIDELITY. As it is in HIGH FIDELITY, it is the best part of CROUPIER. ("A feeling of elation came over him," Jack says of Jake. "He was hooked again watching people lose money.")
But whereas HIGH FIDELITY is definitely a comedy, CROUPIER is sort of a thriller. More than anything it is a character study with some nice little twists involving disreputable punters (gamblers), croupiers and casino managers.
CROUPIER does has some humorous moments with perhaps the best being a brief bit concerning another author working for Jack's publisher. This author, being a terrorist rather than a croupier, recently wrote a successful "kill-and-tell book."
The women in Jack and Jake's lives -- Marion (Gina McKee), his live-in girlfriend, Bella (Kate Hardie), a street-smart, fellow croupier, and Jani (Alex Kingston), a mysterious and romantic punter -- lure them one way and then another. These twists form key parts of the labyrinthine plot, but the enjoyment is in observing them more than in anticipating where they are leading. In CROUPIER, the journey itself is truly the reward.
CROUPIER runs a fast 1:31. The film is unrated but would be an R for sexuality, language, dope smoking, brief nudity, some violence and adult themes. It would be acceptable for older teenagers.
Email: Steve.Rhodes@InternetReviews.com Web: http://www.InternetReviews.com
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