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Croupier

Starring: Clive Owen
Director: Mike Hodges
Genre: Drama
Year: 1998
Rating: 4 / 5

Reviewed by Guest Scribe Jules

I never gamble. So says the title character in the 1998 movie Croupier, as he unveils the casino world to the outsiders watching. He strives for peace, trying to reach that point in the middle of the roulette wheel where he is still and everything is spinning around him, but his choices seem to drive him farther from what he seeks. Croupier is a low budget movie that manages to be more rich a movie than Rounders, which had a similar subject matter and a much bigger budget. Croupier can be a little bizarre at times, but it has a lot to offer.

Jack Manfred (Clive Owen) is a disillusioned writer who takes a job as a croupier to pay the bills, and uses it to get material for his writing. Everyone he meets is a potential character, even himself, whom he even begins to refer to in the third person, with another name (Jake, instead of Jack - very tricky). A croupier is a casino dealer, and Jack/Jake is a great one, a “conjurer” of hand, with a mind that has a detached perspective, allowing him to observe everything going on with a critical and exacting eye. But he is not as detached as his mantra “Hang on tightly, let go lightly” would have us believe. He gets attached to the thrill of watching people lose, while he also watches his life slip slowly out of his control. This film is a study of his personal odyssey.

The actors do a fine job in their roles. Clive Owen, recognizable as the lead in all the cult classic BMW films, plays solidly as the cold, calculating protagonist. His narration can be a little overboard at times, but we overlook that because his observations are keen and especially helpful for gambling neophytes. Alex Kingston, of ER fame, plays the temptress in distress quite well. I earned extra points for recalling that the actress playing Manfred’s girlfriend was the wheelchair-bound friend in Notting Hill. She holds her own. The directing and cinematography are dreamy and right on target for the seamy, nightlife atmosphere, and impressively good considering this was a low budget affair. If you have an interest in Indie films, especially British ones, character studies, or slightly ironic insights on the gambling world, the odds are good…

Cast:

Certification: Rated R.
Running Time: 94 minutes.

Additional Info: Internet Movie Database
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