Croupier (2000)

To me, this movie is perfection.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Croupier is an excellent icy-cool noir film. The movie has a David Mamet feel to it. I really enjoyed this movie, but the last 30 minutes left me a bit bewildered. Clive Owen is fantastic as the calm and cool Jack Manfred. A struggling writer, Jack takes up an offer from his seemingly estranged relationship with his bizarre dad to interview at a Casino for a Croupier job. Jack gets the job to the consternation of his girlfriend, Marion, who seems to be bi-polar. The requisite cast of delicious characters at the casino elevates Jack's coolness factor as he narrates in the 3rd person throughout the movie - to great effect. Croupier is a classic character study. The ethics & rules that Jack has placed upon him thru his employer get strained and blurred. The robbery scene was very disjointed and confusing - what happened? The death of Marion left more questions than answers and the revelation that Jack's dad was in fact behind the casino robbery was not developed enough. The movie flows so neatly and clean, I think it could have gone another 10 - 15 minutes with more development of the loose ends.

This is a strangely subdued mood / character piece with Clive Owen playing a writer who takes a job as a croupier and begins to live the croupier's life as the life of the main character in a novel he begins writing. As such, there is a strong metafictional thread to the narrative.Unfortunately, both Owen's character, and his fictional character, are rather dull, and most of the people he meets are rather unpleasant. He gets involved in a low key crime sub-plot, and that's rather dull, too. Shady lady femme fatale Alex Kingston is both dull and unpleasant. Only Gina McKee, as Owen's frustrated ex-policewoman girlfriend, is even remotely sympathetic. And she gets killed, for no apparent reason.This small, mildly unpleasant film, served as something of a launchpad for Owen. Heaven only knows why - he's as wooden as a mahogany worktop. He has improved since, I'm glad to report.

A struggling writer takes a job as a croupier (card dealer) at a casino, using his experiences to write a book. It seems that there is a lot going on in this film but there isn't really much of a plot - just a lot of little episodes reflecting on the central character. Owen is always interesting to watch and he's the main attraction here in one of his earliest starring roles, providing an edginess and sense of mystery to his character. Veteral British director Hodges, best known for "Get Carter," manages to create a brooding, threatening atmosphere. As such, the film never becomes boring despite the weak storyline, although ultimately it's not very satisfying either.

I enjoyed watching this but it wasn't anything fantastic. The main character is flat and a bit too two dimensional, not much of a person. That was the thing most wrong with this for me. The scenes in the casino seem believable and are interesting. The small insights into people other than our hero are sort of interesting and compelling, but we don't get to explore them. In a way, that leaves it lacking human interest but it adds some mystery. It's got an exciting denouement that isn't ruined by piles of equally over-the-top violence. Other than that, the plot was good and it kept moving along. The acting was good, the characters mostly believable (except the main). It was fine for a lazy Friday night with a bottle of wine.