If you were to imagine a B-version of Goodfellas in the world of politics, you’d get Casino Jack. George Hickenlooper‘s final film is a a hit-and-mess tale of rise and fall. The story of Jack Abramoff should have been an epic. Abramoff’s story has been served in an enjoyable enough fashion, but it never reaches its fullest potential. This is a fun, minor film at best.
The film chronicles the rise and fall of the D.C. lobbyist and his minions. Here Abramoff being portrayed in an almost lampoonist fashion by Kevin Spacey. Most of the past decade has been a rough and disappointing one for Spacey, after the 1990s seemed made just for him. His filmography got filled with much beloved gems, but then, slowly but surely, got saddled with total mediocracy: Pay it Forward, K-Pax, The Life of David Gale and, who could forget, Edison Force. There’s a few others, but those are the highlights. The only possible passable exception for the first half of the decade is his much mangled, but enjoyable directorial debut, Beyond the Sea.
Thankfully, Spacey has been having a fairly solid run with his past few efforts: Recount, The Men Who Stares at Goats, and with his excellent voice work in Moon. Casino Jack can proudly join that lineup. Spacey has always been a pro when it comes to playing smarmy yet charming; L.A. Confidential being the perfect example. The script may not quite do Spacey justice, but he brings gravitas to the role. Mainly, there’s a lot left to be desired when it comes to Abramoff’s charming showmanship that swayed so many. Abramoff should have a larger-than-life quality to him, and yet he feels so small.
The performances across the board are all fun. Barry Pepper and Jon Lovitz turn in exceptional slime ball performances. Pepper plays Abramoff’s right hand man, Michael Scanlon. Scanlon is the perfect representation of Abramoff: a man-child, but someone that actually looks like one and shows off his foolish nature more in appearance. Scanlon and Abramoff are played as men with teenage sensibilities. They’re delusional man-children. Both continuously quote movies, like true nerds do, and it’s a pure sign of their smugness. They think they’re stars, and Abramoff even has a line being further proof of that.
There’s a tremendous story in Casino Jack, but sadly, it’s uneven and just plain messy. This should have been an epic rise and fall story, but instead, it feels small. The film has hilarious, if somewhat on the nose, moments. It’s disappointing that there’s never a greater sense of stakes or the power that Abramoff and his lackeys have, but one cant fault the film for, at the very least, being an entertaining satire with fine performances.
Casino Jack is currently in limited theatrical release.