Tuesday, December 14, 2010 at 7:04AM Movie Review - 'Casino Jack'
| Casino Jack
Starring Kevin Spacey and Barry Pepper
|
Casino Jack is a quirky drama that chronicles the real life events surrounding well-known DC lobbyist Jack Abramoff, that took place between 2003 and 2005. Many of us may remember when the scandal broke, then labeled “the biggest political impropriety to hit the Beltway since Watergate.” Abramoff and partner Michael Scanlon were found guilty of three criminal felony counts related to defrauding American Indian tribes and public officials. Fascinated by this icon of greed and corruption, director George Hickenlooper set out to unearth the man behind the outrage, and in doing so, discovered the sheer hypocrisy of the American political system.
Kevin Spacey is positively electric as Jack Abramoff, who the film defines as a man torn between wanting the most out of the American dream, and an intense religious foundation and the desire to benefit the world. His transformation and navigation of a character that bandies between quick-witted schemer and caring family man is not only breathtaking, it is tragically human. This is especially apparent in scenes where Abramoff becomes almost neurotically defensive of his actions and desires. At the pinnacle of these confrontations, he slides frighteningly into his chronic self-defense mechanism, impersonating characters in films or politicians. These attributes, collected from multiple meetings with the actual Jack Abramoff in prison, construct an amazingly three-dimensional character, who almost seems to breathe a sigh of relief when his misdeeds are finally exposed.
Conversely, however, some of the other supporting characters not only seem flat by mere juxtaposition, they also appear to be miscast. The most glaring example is Jon Lovitz as Adam Kidan, a contemptuous businessman who is as shady as he is sloppy. To Lovitz’s credit, he was certainly being himself, but his early 90s style, deflated comedy reads as insincere and foolish. In fact, the phone conversations between him and Spacey appear to be some surreal communication between two entirely different films. Lovitz definitely has a place in this industry, but it is clearly not in this film.
The women in this film, Abramoff’s wife, played by Kelly Preston and Scanlon’s fiancé, played by Rachelle Lefevre, provide stellar support and intrigue as they help to propel the story and reveal the softer sides of their male counterparts. Barry Pepper, who plays the young, scheming, Michael Scanlon, however, seems a bit out of place. Though he delivers a strong performance, the underdevelopment of his character and the blunt dullness of his given dialogue make it glaringly obvious that he is only there for exposition. In addition, the movie is so grotesquely one-sided on that of Abramoff that Scanlon quickly becomes the film’s conniving scapegoat.
This might have been alright if the movie had sought to paint the portrait of a man in an extraordinary set of circumstances in order to reflect an undeniable humanity present even in those we have come to demonize. It also would have been alright if, on the other hand, the film strove to use the story of Jack Abramoff to expose and explain the intensely corrupt inner-workings of our political system. As it stands, Casino Jack attempts to do both, which makes the film both cumbersome, and so defined in shades of black and white that it is hard to relate to as a true tale.
That said, the subject matter of Casino Jack is very interesting, and Spacey’s performance is definitely worth the watch. You may notice your attention drifting to the time during some of the scenes between the Native American’s, or inadvertently mumbling a “yeah right” during Lovitz’s performance, but the minute Abramoff comes back to the screen, you will be squirming, laughing, and very impressed.
Reader Comments (3)
I don't think Kevin Spacey has ever done a bad job in any role, even as the computer voice in Moon he was good. Sad to hear about everything else surrounding Spacey didn't go well, I had hopes for this one.
I agree with the post above and I will get more information from google.
Saw this movie last night, not my fav movie ever but most definitely worth watching. If you like Spacey you will enjoy this movie.