Casino Jack (2010)

Contrary to popular belief, the most outrageous and unbelievable stories do not come out of Hollywood. They actually come out of Washington. Hollywood does, however, do a fine job of re-telling the tales of misdeeds by crooked politicians and those in their inner circle. This is certainly the case with Casino Jack, a film starring Kevin Spacey which recently made its way to home video.

Spacey stars as real-life lobbyist/businessman Jack Abramoff, who served several years in prison following a corruption scandal that also brought down several Washington power brokers.

In the film, Abramoff is portrayed as a man who is tired of just getting by, and is looking for a way to grab the brass ring. Abramoff seems to have the ideal life. A beautiful wife (Kelly Preston), five children, a producing/writing credit on the 1989 Dolph Lundgren film Red Scorpion and what would seem to be a lucrative job as a lobbyist. Basically Abramoff schmoozes with politicians, taking them out for dinner or on extravagant trips in an attempt to garner their support for whatever interest he is representing at that time.

The truth is, however, that Abramoff is behind on his mortgage, and living beyond his means. He sees a way out of this dilemma when he gets the opportunity to represent the interests of a Native American tribe's casino operations. Abraham and his protégé Michael Scanlon (Barry Pepper) take advantage of the situation and begin to criminally overbill the tribe, using the cash to buy a stake in a casino of their own.

Seeing as how I mentioned that Abramoff spent several years in prison, you can imagine that this scam did not go well for Jack and Michael. Extravagant spending and associating with the wrong people leads to more fraud, corruption and even murder.

Two-time Academy Award winner Kevin Spacey may be the finest actor working in film today, and his talents are used to the best of his abilities in Casino Jack. This may be his best work since his Oscar-winning role in the classic American Beauty. Spacey even throws in a few of the dead-on impressions that he is known for, including Ronald Reagan and Al Pacino.

The film has a heavy Canadian influence. It was filmed in Hamilton and co-stars Canadian actors Barry Pepper (True Grit), Rachelle Lefevre (Twilight Saga: New Moon), Graham Greene (Dances With Wolves), Maury Chaykin (My Cousin Vinny) and Yannick Bisson ("Murdoch Mysteries"). The only way they could have crammed more Canadian content in there is if Paul Haggis directed it and Gordon Lightfoot recorded a song for it.

The only thing I found disappointing about the film was the lack of casino action. Though I've never placed a bet in a casino, I've always big a big fan of films that take place in them, such as The Cooler, 21, and the appropriately titled Casino. Based on the title of the film, I was a little surprised that it was more focused on political manoeuvrings than blackjack, but I won't knock the film for what it isn't, I will instead celebrate it for what it is. Casino Jack is a thoroughly enjoyable film featuring a terrific cast, and a story that is fascinating regardless of your knowledge of political wheelings and dealings.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars