Il colpo: Analisi di una rapina

This film-noir crime drama gets my vote for sleeper of the year. It is an expertly written story that is subtly directed and superbly acted. It makes up for the dozens of dreadful independent films one has to mine to find such a gem.

Jack Manfred (Clive Owen) is a struggling writer, who on the advice of his father takes a job as a croupier at a local casino, a job he previously held when he lived in South Africa. He takes the job to make some extra money, but soon he realizes that it would be an excellent setting for a novel. He becomes an impassive observer of the gambling culture on both sides of the table, taking mental notes that are later incorporated into his book. However, as time goes on he is seduced from observer to participant, gradually breaking all his own rules and justifying his decadence by convincing himself that he has become the character in his book. His feeling of control is delusional as he is being manipulated by unseen forces that are beyond his comprehension.

There is a wonderful multi-layered texture to the story. It examines the psychological aspects of the gambling casino from the inside out, allowing us to look at the trade from the casino's perspective. It also weaves in love, sex, deceit and betrayal along with robbery and murder. A few plot gaps leave the viewer with some unanswered questions, but they are minor. The ingenious weave of plot elements culminating in a clever ending more than makes up for the flaws. Director Mike Hodges did an outstanding job of creating realistic casino environment without a lush budget. Hodges got the feeling just right as well, portraying various types of gamblers from the high rollers to the addicts.

The acting was superlative. Clive Owen emerges from the shadow of his television resume to deliver a complex and brilliant performance as the cunning but stolid croupier. If anyone with clout ever sees this film, his agent will certainly be getting some calls. Alex Kingston also does a fine job as the enigmatic Jani, who lures him into a nefarious scheme that sends his life spinning dangerously out of control.

This intelligent film keeps the viewer engrossed throughout. I rated it a 9/10. It presents a fine alternative to mindless big budget films that are more form than substance.

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?

In the "Croupier", Mike Hodges takes us in a thrilling journey in the underworld of gambling. We are introduced to Jack (Owen), an average guy who tries (unsuccessfully) to make a living as a writer. He lives a with his girlfriend Marion (McKee), an ex-cop who is deeply in love with him (while he is quite more reserved in his feelings). However, after his father arranges for him a job offer as a croupier in a casino, his life gets completely transformed: His new world and the creatures that live in it begin to devour him, and his character gets gradually reshaped. He is faced with corruption, lust, and ultimately, crime, and Marion does not seem to have the ability to bring him back.

Mike Hodges gives us an excellent account of Jack's world, with the characters being vividly and convincingly portrayed. A small plot twist in the end adds up to the overall excitement.

Clive Owen is simply superb as the icy croupier, who although he tries to be detached, he simply cannot (and probably does not want to) escape from his downhill path. We also enjoy very good performances by all the other actors involved.

8/10.

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.

"Croupier" is a British neo-noir. It has a detached character (or even better, two characters) who progressively get involved in a shadowy world from an apparently safe beginning, it has voice-overs, lots of artistic and original swearing, a depressing atmosphere and if you don't feel like lighting a cigarette with a Zippo after the movie is over, you're dead. Clive Owen gives an amazing performance as the croupier of the title, who is very conscious of his split personalities: Jack, a gambler, the writer who works in the casino to pay the bills, and Jake, a croupier, a man who enjoys watching his customers losing all his money and who makes sure he's always dealing the cards. In the end, Jack loses and Jake wins. The message is delivered in the least subtle way possible, Hell, the voice-over is practically an intellectual analysis on the movie's meaning, but it works because Jack/Jake is an amazingly engaging character and because the movie is so well directed. The crime plot, although not surprising in the least, develops itself smoothly and contains lots of unexpected sources of humor. "Croupier" is a very stylish and criminally underrated neo-noir that beats the living crap out of most of recent Hollywood releases centering about a big robbery or con. It might be heavy-handed, but it's conscious of where its strenghts lie, and Wilson is great. Why it's so criminally underrated... I don't have the faintest about.