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Loading ...Category: Biography
Year: 2010
Rating: 6.5/10 ()
Director: George Hickenlooper
Country: Canada
Language: English
Release Date: 17 December 2010 (USA) See more »
Taglines: Honor. Integrity. Principles. Everything is Negotiable.
Movie Storyline
A hot shot Washington DC lobbyist and his protégé go down hard as their schemes to peddle influence lead to corruption and murder.
Cast:
Kevin Spacey
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Jack Abramoff
Ruth Marshall
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Susan Schmidt
Graham Greene
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Bernie Sprague
Hannah Endicott-Douglas
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Sarah Abramoff
Barry Pepper
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Michael Scanlon
John Robinson
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Federal Agent Patterson
Jason Weinberg
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Snake
Spencer Garrett
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Tom DeLay
Yok Come Ho
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Asian Factory Worker
Anna Hardwick
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Lobbyist #2
John David Whalen
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Kevin Ring
Matt Gordon
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Bill Jarrell
Jeffrey R. Smith
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Grover Norquist
Christian Campbell
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Ralph Reed
Eric Schweig
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Chief Poncho
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Filming Locations: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Soundtracks:
"Quanto E Bella Act 1: Nemorino"
Written by Gaetano Donizetti Music provided by APM Music LLC
Official Site(s): Official site | Official Facebook |
User Review:
Light-hearted take on Jack Abramoff
, rated: 8/10
The release of "Casino Jack" this December comes at a somewhat odd
time, with not just Jack Abramoff himself set for release from prison,
but the Republican party he represented set to return to power in one
of the Houses of Congress.
Then again, had it been released earlier in the year, "Casino Jack"
probably wouldn't have served liberals all that well as a talking
point, simply because this film (directed by the late George
Hickenlooper and starring Kevin Spacey as the disgraced lobbyist) isn't
particularly partisan in its tone. While famous real-life conservative
figures like Tom Delay and Grover Norquist do make appearances, because
the film takes place almost entirely within the realm of Republican
politics, we tend to forget that we're watching Republicans at work and
simply think of them as lobbyists and politicians.
Like Aaron Eckhart's character in "Thank You For Smoking," Spacey's
Abramoff comes across as the latest a series of Hollywood anti-heroes
who, in their own sleazily cynical way, seem to embody the American
dream. His Abramoff is cynical but not necessarily unlikeable, and
comes off as almost a straight-laced family man compared to his
heavy-drinking, womanizing protégé, Michael Scanlon (played excellently
by Barry Pepper) or bumbling, Mafia-connected business associate Adam
Kidan (played even more excellently by Jon Lovitz). The light-hearted
tone is helped along by the use of dreamy, Showtunes-style music, which
lends many of the scenes a slightly surreal air, as if we're a little
intoxicated ourselves on the power trip of it all.
Overall, it's hard to fault much in "Casino Jack" - it's a
briskly-paced, well-written, well- directed and well-acted film that
will have appeal not just for political junkies but also for your
average movie goer. However, some viewers may find themselves made
slightly uncomfortable at the film's light-hearted tone by the time the
credits roll. Was Abramoff just another high-flying, high-falling
American success story, or was there something a little more disturbing
at work here? As smart and incisive as it is, "Casino Jack" never
really questions the more serious questions raised by Jack Abramoff's
success in Washington, but that doesn't mean it's not a worthwhile film
or even a very good one.
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