Cast: Clive Owen, Gina McKee, Alex Kingston, Kate Hardie, Nicholas Ball, Nick Reding
Director: Mike Hodges
Producers: Jonathan Cavendish, Christine Ruppert
Screenplay: Paul Mayersberg
Cinematography: Michael Garfath
Music: Simon Fisher-Turner
U.S. Distributor: The Shooting Gallery
Croupier is one of those overlooked movies that, once you see it, you wonder how so many distributors could have let this one get away. With its fascinating, multi-layered plot, intelligent screenplay, and subtle-yet-undeniable tension building, Croupier is an engrossing, stylish thriller that never threatens to wear out its welcome. And, like Martin Scorsese's Casino or John Dahl's Rounders, it's a small treasure-trove of behind-the-scenes information about what goes on at casinos. Some of these revelations were new to me, and may change the way I look at dealers next time I'm in Atlantic City. The 90 minutes fly by because director Mike Hodges never lets the momentum flag, and, for those who appreciate twists and turns, Croupier is never quite as straightforward as it seems, and there's a nice little surprise at the end of the trail.
The world of the croupier (casino dealer) is seen through the eyes of Jack Manfred (Clive Owen), a writer who's looking for material to put into a new novel. By nature, Jack is an observer, not a participant. He doesn't gamble, because he knows the odds aren't good. For the most part, he likes to play by the rules. And he has a perverse addiction - he likes watching people lose. He drinks in defeat like a stimulant, and the experience of dealing often leaves him shaking afterwards. As the story unfolds, Jack begins to blur the lines between his real-life self and his fictional alter-ego, Jake. Sometimes, it's Jake, not Jack, who steps behind the tables and begins to shuffle the cards. However, while Jack is cold and detached, Jake believes in taking risks and getting involved - two things that lead to trouble.
Croupier features a lot of voiceover narration, most of which (Surprise! Surprise!) is interesting. These are Jack's often wry, occasionally penetrating observations about the world he is moving through and the kind of people who populate it. Since Jack is basically a cold fish and almost impossible to sympathize with, having a direct link into his mind enables us to understand him better, and, more importantly gives us access to a wealth of information that we would not otherwise have. How else would we know when someone was cheating, counting cards, or desperate for a big score?
Croupier is an unconventional thriller because it does not feature the staples of most such movies. There's some violence, but not much, and there's not a car chase to be found (in fact, for most of the film, the lead character doesn't own a car). All of the suspense is internalized - it builds slowly but consistently as we begin to understand the kinds of underhanded deeds that occur at the casino. Jack may have "the hands of a conjurer (or a cardshark)," but he'll need a peculiar kind of magic to extricate himself from a situation he agrees to be party to. His girlfriend (Gina McKee, recently seen as the paraplegic in Notting Hill) is supportive of his writing career but despises the kind of person his casino work is turning him into. And there's a femme fatale (played by Alex Kingston, best known for her recurring role as Dr. Elizabeth Corday on "ER") who plays on Jack's sympathies to get her way.
Hodges is generally regarded as something of a journeyman filmmaker. After scoring a rousing success with his 1971 debut, Get Carter (which is widely acknowledged as one of the thrillers that later films have liberally cannibalized), Hodges' carreer has had few other peaks. His resume lists titles like The Terminal Man (based on the Michael Crichton novel), Flash Gordon, and A Prayer for Dying (based on the Jack Higgins novel) - serviceable adaptations all, but nothing special. Croupier, which was relegated to North American obscurity until The Shooting Gallery picked it up for their film series, is a revelation - the best thing Hodges has done in over twenty-five years.
One of the biggest problems with modern-day thrillers is that they think a quick burst of adrenaline is a good substitute for solid plotting and intelligent dialogue. Croupier proves how flawed this philosophy is. The best antidote to the dumbing-down of motion pictures is to see something smart, savvy, and unpredictable - three qualities that this movie possesses in abundance.
© 2000 James Berardinelli