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CROUPIER (2000) *** Clive Owen, Gina McKee, Alex Kingston, Kate Hardie, Nicholas Ball. British director Mike Hodges returns with his trademark hands-on film noir twisting with Owen – part Connery/part Gibson – as a contemptuous struggling novelist who takes a job as a casino croupier with much disdain for its clientele and the razor's edge trundling of enjoying the afterhours lifestyle while struggling to maintain his identity from his story's semi-autobiographical character. Smartly written by Paul Mayersberg with its pulp fiction heart and soul on display works well until its unfortunately false ending. Owen gives a silky smooth enhancing performance of a man at odds with his life and makes it all look effortless.

An aspiring writer (Clive Owen) is hired as a croupier at a casino, where he realizes that his life as a croupier would make a great novel.

My interest in gambling movies is about average, though I do find them somewhat interesting in the context of organized crime. That was not a major aspect here, though the movie was not without its unexpected death and shady characters. Lead by Clive Owen, it was a decent little story.

I also like that he was not a croupier just for the sake of being a croupier, but also had the idea of writing a book in mind. This then creates the fun of the unreliable narrator... is everything he says true, or is part of this just his fantasy of what would make for a better story?

Croupier is a film that shouldn't work. It doesn't have a conventional plot, doesn't seem to be about anything, (it's got gambling in it and is set inside a casino, but isn't really about gambling.) and the main character seems to have no clear desire for anything. I'm still wondering why I enjoyed it so much. Perhaps the absence of these motifs that you'd expect in any conventional film is what makes it special, I suspect that they add to it's originality, but what really makes the film work is how completely engaging the main character is made.

Jack Manfred, from his chain smoking to his dry voice-over, is completely engaging as a character, without having to go through any obvious conventionalities that would force the audience into finding him endearing. This is surely a combination of Mike Hodges directorial skill, the script and Clive Owen's acting ability.

The film is essentially a character study, with a front of a gambling film, that examines this character and his relationships with the people in his life, - his girlfriend, boss, father and colleagues, how he sees the world, and how he will cope when presented with certain situations.

It is brought to the screen with quality that demands attention and a score that heightens the atmosphere the film creates and really sets the tone.

I was a croupier myself for the best part of 15 years and I expected to see the usual depiction of a casino. You know the scene - think of any Bond movie - the Roulette wheel spins so fast that you can't see the numbers, the dealers all have sticks and speak in French accents, the bets are all placed before the ball is spun and all straight up on the number.

Not so this movie. Anyone that has ever been inside a real casino would

recognise this place. The urgency of every punter trying to get the last bet on before the ball drops, the cheats, the sad, sad losers that wait forever to place their last chips.

This is the most realistic depiction of a casino I have ever seen.

Clive Owen is perfect. He has obviously had a lot of training - only one criticism of his technique - he looks in the wheel as the ball is dropping - a good dealer looks at the layout and watches for late bets, he should be the last person to know which number has come up - he must have eyes in the back of his head to

spot a cheat the way he deals!

For realism, you can't fault this film - every character, even the peripheral extras are real and believable - it's a tour de force of perfect character sketches - the plot is almost irrelevant - in fact, it is not quite up to the incredible atmosphere created - but it's good enough, the film is well worth your time. Hell, it's worth watching 2 or 3 times just to catch all of the great little cameos that you might have missed the first time

9 out of 10

Jack is an aspiring writer struggling to finish his debut novel. To make ends meet, he takes up employment as a croupier at a local casino- a job for which he has some ability. Jack is drawn into the action-packed world of gambling like a moth to flame, to the detriment of his relationship with his girlfriend Marion. As he becomes more involved with the casino and its inhabitants, Jack's life becomes increasingly complex and dangerous. Surrounded by cheats, card-sharps and cads, will Jack be able to beat the odds and finish his book, or will the house win again; leaving him with nothing?

Directed by Mike Hodges from a screenplay by Paul Meyersberg, 'Croupier' is a stylish crime drama that- at its best- effectively harkens back to the golden age of film noir. Meyersberg's narrative is full of deception and uncertainty, while his characters are cynical creatures motivated by greed and ambition. He uses Jack's tale to explore the seedy underbelly of contemporary London, where everyone is trying to con someone, and nobody wants to lose. Like Fred MacMurray's Walter Neff in 'Double Indemnity', Owen's Jack is our nihilistic gateway and guide to this sordid city of inequity, and like with Neff, we know his story probably won't have a happy ending.

This is not to say that Meyersberg's screenplay is without fault, or that his narrative is thoroughly engaging, however. The third act drags quite a bit and features a 'twist' so obvious and unnecessary that it cheapens all that came before it. Furthermore, his secondary characters aren't developed particularly well, seeming like dimly defined background noise. Jack's father, for instance, is more of a plot device than anything else, with little to no personality or depth. A sub-plot involving a fellow croupier named Matt initially seems important, before fading into absolute nothingness. It seems Meyersberg wasn't sure what direction to take some aspects of the story; so just left them mid-stream to flounder.

'Croupier' fares better in terms of visuals, having atmospheric production design and cinematography throughout. Director of photography Michael Garfath's utilization of close-ups, zooms and alternate angles in the gambling sequences heightens the narrative tension, while his spirited, inventive use of shadows, low-key lighting, and tilted angles helps maintain the film's thematic links to film noir. Coupled with Jon Bunker's lush production design- which makes terrific use of contrasting lighting, spaces and colours- 'Croupier' boasts consistently strong visuals that linger in the mind long after the credits have rolled.

As do the performances, especially that of star Clive Owen. Cold, calculating, but not without a certain charm, he masterfully underplays the role of Jack. With his detached voice-over-narration and laid-back demeanour, he plays Jack as the classic noir anti-hero and has the audience on side from the get-go. Gina McKee, Kate Hardie and Paul Reynolds also shine in their roles, giving commendable performances that elevate their characters beyond the screenplay and Meyersberg's scant secondary characterization.

With its nihilistic, cynical tone and assured, stylish cinematography, Mike Hodges's 'Croupier' is a tense crime drama that entertains and intrigues in equal measure. Though it may have a few issues- particularly regarding pacing and the structure of Paul Meyersberg's screenplay, which lags in the third act- this strongly acted, atmospheric film is a must watch for fans of film noir or Clive Owen. If 'Rounders', 'The Gambler' or 'Casino Royale' didn't satiate your lust for gambling movies, then go look for 'Croupier;' it's a bet that's sure to pay off.