Croupier (1998)

Jack Manfield is a writer but an unpublished one thus far. With money running out he follows a connection from his father that earns him a job interview in a London casino. After a short time he finds he has rediscovered the croupier bug and is back in love with his new job. He also finds that his experiences useful in creating a new book, lead the lead character, Jake, as a croupier. As he drifts apart from his girlfriend he loses himself in the world and starts breaking the rules – ultimately getting involved with a patron, Jani, who asks him for help in organising a heist at the casino.

Quite often it'll be the UK, European or underground markets that expose an American film as a good film after the US market has ignored it, but with Croupier it worked the other way round. Hardly making any impact at all upon release in the UK, it was apparently good reviews and good figures from the US that helped make it better known. As such I came to it with mixed expectations – I sort of half knew what to expect from it but I had also been led to believe that it would impress me a great deal. In some regards I enjoyed the film; it is intelligent, dark, thoughtful and has a reasonably enjoyable plot – even if the plot does have equal billing with the atmosphere. However don't expect a great plot that piles twist on twist, because this isn't what the film is about. Rather the film relies very heavily on the observations of the croupier himself (both as Jack and Jake) to drive the film forward. I can't think of another film that I've seen that uses voice-over to such a degree (and makes it work), usually heavy voice-over use implies that the script and characters were not strong enough to hold the film up by themselves.

The clever twisting of Jack/Jake is subtle but done to good effect and was a big part of the reason that this film engaged me. Outside of this I found the plot to be rather hard work – there is no one real thrust to the film with only the main one involving Jani really coming out to the front in order to deliver an ending in the traditional manner. This is a weakness and it stops the film being as satisfying as it could have been, with Jack not being provided with enough of a plot to be set in. That said it still works due to his character and some great direction from Hodges who avoids being overly flashy as the gambling world setting often encourages directors to be.

Owen is very good and convinces in his many scenes – he is the heart of the film and it is to his credit that he manages to do it. Even in voice-over he delivers good character and direction for the film. Kingston is not as good. Aside from doing her whole nudity thing yet again she also is lumbered with an accent that doesn't suit her and one that she doesn't sound comfortable with (even if it isn't that bad). McKee is OK, as are Ball, Morton and Parnell albeit in smaller roles. But in a film that is more about the croupier than anything else, the film is Owen's and he rises to it and does well with the lead role.

Overall this is an OK film and one that deserves better than it received upon first release in the UK. However plot-wise it is not as satisfying as I would have liked it to be, instead it relies heavily on the character of Jack – an aspect that is both the film's making and it's weakness (in that the film doesn't give him a good enough plot to be developed against).

Fmovies: I first saw this film at the Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle as part of a double feature with Get Carter - both films being directed by Mike Hodges. I wasn't sure what to expect. Hodges was behind 'Get Carter,' in my opinion the greatest most realistic gangster-flick of all time. He was also behind 'Flash Gordon'.

Fortunately, Croupier fell in the category of being more like the former than the latter - a gritty, urban tale about very ordinary, mundane people just doing their job. Hodges turns on the magic, however, making the life of Jack Manfred, struggling writer and part-time Croupier as complex and as multidimensional as any character I've ever seen, as he is sucked into London's gaming underworld.

This is a great film - I can't tell you too much or I'll spoil it, because this one twists and turns and doubles back on itself like a rattlesnake in a sack. Clive Owen is fantastic as the emotionless, stony faced Croupier, and the supporting cast is always believable.

This is a low budget film, with minor stars and functional sets, but the quality of the writing, acting and directing shines through and I only loved this film more when I saw it again on cable pay-per-view. I now own it on video and it's one of those few films which holds my highest accolade - it's worth watching again, and again. If you enjoyed 'Get Carter' (1971), get this.

Come on deal with it! Independent films have a way of creating complex story lines that keep a viewer intrigued, and they also include some obscure characters that we tend to admire. You could surely bet that `The Croupier' falls in that winning category. I will throw the deck of this one at you- a struggling writer who gets a job as a croupier to entice his stalled imaginative mind. On the second hand- it also includes a mysterious subplot involving a possessive girlfriend, a sexy socialite card player, a distraught female croupier, and a watchful father. Clive Owen as the `jack of all trades' croupier executes an ace performance. For sure, one of the best acting performances of the year- Really! I am not being a joker! His suave style is reminiscent of James Bond. Yes that Bond, James Bond! In fact, I will double down my bet and predict that Owen will be the next 007. Also, open up those snake eyes and ears and you will see and hear- an artistic screenplay, an intensive musical score, and exquisite cinematography. `The Croupier' does deserve a winning hand!

***** Excellent

Croupier fmovies. Clive Owen has the type of face, body, and voice that the camera loves. He was nominated for an Oscar for this movie only to have it pulled back because the movie was more than 3 years old at the time. But he richly deserved this nomination for it his acting as Jack Manfred that carries this film. If you have not heard of this guy, watch out. I believe that once he gets a more wide-spread release he will explode in Hollywood.

There are rumors that Owen might be the next James Bond, which I'm sure he'd be great at. He has also received fame from the BMWFilms series the Hire, where he plays the title role.

This film is a 10: Brilliant and Entertaining. Its good to see Mike Hodges get a little recognition.

I liked some things in this movie. One was that it was narrated in the 3rd person by the star (usually it's someone else who narrates in the third person), another is that I saw a world I didn't know about before. Sure, I know about casinos and bosses and workers, but I didn't know how it worked in Britain. In fact, I saw this as a British version of Casino (except without the mob and violence, though there is some violence). Also, Clive Owen makes a great lead as Jack, who goes through changes in his careers as a writer and a croupier. Possibly the best film to come from Britain this year (so far).

In the "Croupier", Mike Hodges takes us in a thrilling journey in the underworld of gambling. We are introduced to Jack (Owen), an average guy who tries (unsuccessfully) to make a living as a writer. He lives a with his girlfriend Marion (McKee), an ex-cop who is deeply in love with him (while he is quite more reserved in his feelings). However, after his father arranges for him a job offer as a croupier in a casino, his life gets completely transformed: His new world and the creatures that live in it begin to devour him, and his character gets gradually reshaped. He is faced with corruption, lust, and ultimately, crime, and Marion does not seem to have the ability to bring him back.

Mike Hodges gives us an excellent account of Jack's world, with the characters being vividly and convincingly portrayed. A small plot twist in the end adds up to the overall excitement.

Clive Owen is simply superb as the icy croupier, who although he tries to be detached, he simply cannot (and probably does not want to) escape from his downhill path. We also enjoy very good performances by all the other actors involved.

8/10.