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Casino Jack
Still courtesy of TIFF.
Casino Jack
Whatever happened to Kevin Spacey? Following a swell of critical acclaim in the ‘90s for roles in L.A. Confidential, The Usual Suspects, and American Beauty (earning Oscars for the latter two), Spacey never really followed through on his potential as one of the great American thespians. (Any lingering hopes that he might were summarily dashed by turns in K-Pax and The Life of David Gale.) Casino Jack marks the opportunity for Spacey to return to silver screen centre stage, and sees him offering up another convincing, highly charismatic performance as United States “Super Lobbyist” and con man Jack Abramoff.
Hickenlooper’s film sketches Abramoff’s much-publicized defrauding of American Indian tribes in compelling, if overly sensationalist terms. Casino Jack is a bit too beholden to mob movie tropes, viewing Abramhoff’s wheeling-and-dealing from the inside-out, offering us no option but to identify with him and cadre, including high-rolling protégé Michael Scanlon (Barry Pepper, dolled up like Gordon Gecko Junior). The Washington Mafioso vibe is intensified by Abramoff’s apparent tendency to quote The Godfather, providing Spacey the opportunity to ham his way through some Brando and Pacino impressions.
Casino Jack also suffers from some gratingly prevalent ethnic slurs lobbed against American native populations. Given the nature of Abramoff’s crime, it may well be “in context,” but given the alliances forged between Abramoff and audience early on, it’s as if the film wants us to laugh (repeatedly) at “Tonto” epithets. But the core of the film is Spacey, who portrays Abramoff equally as family man, amiable entrepreneur, and frothing icon of self-righteous indignation. A great performance in a film that is otherwise just okay.
Want more TIFF 2010? Torontoist’s complete coverage of this year’s Toronto International Film Festival is all right here.