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CROUPIER - dir. mike hodges this year, i've seen two films in which the protagonist has a secret life. in mary harron's excellent american psycho, patrick bateman, played to perfection by christian bale, is a vain yuppie by day, psycho killer by night. he's obviously fucked up in the head, but all of his motivations are made clear: by film's end, we know why he did what he did. in mike hodges's croupier, jack manfred becomes "jake" when he goes to work. unlike patrick bateman, though, i'm still trying to understand how his mind worked. like with many people in film -- and let's face it, in reality too -- jack's passion, writing, isn't paying his bills. he fancies himself as an author, but he lacks a subject. his publishing liason's suggestion of a soccer story doesn't get any further than a title. at this moment, he receives a call from his father, a gambler. it turns out his dad has pulled a few strings and gotten him an interview for a croupier position at a london casino. jack was literally born in a casino and worked as a croupier in his native south africa: however, he has the sort of vehement aversion to gambling that can only come from bad experiences linked to it (indeed, we later learn that his mother walked out on them when she couldn't take it anymore). he lives with his store detective girlfriend and out of guilt of not paying his share of the bills, he accepts the job. jack is initially hesitant, but as he settles into the position, he has a breakthrough: his job at the casino will serve as the basis for his novel. the movie is narrated by "jake," the lead character in jack's novel: no detail escapes jack's keen observation, and none of jack's actions are missed by jake. when a fellow croupier cheats, jack see it; when a gambler tries to claim money off a late bet, jack's aware of it. all of these details make it into the novel, which jack hopes will be an expose of the gambling world from the inside. when jack is hired, the casino boss lays down the rules: croupiers are discouraged from becoming friendly with one another; they must never gamble themselves; they must never assist a gambler in cheating, and if they catch one cheating, they are to report it; if they are aware that a fellow croupier is cheating (or breaking any of the rules), they are required to inform the boss; and, finally, croupiers are never to associate with gamblers outside of the casino. gradually, jack begins to break every one of these rules: this is the one thing that escapes both jack and jake's observation, whether it be willful ignorance or not. he befriends a crooked croupier, and does not report him; he sleeps with another one and doesn't report her dope use; and he has a drink with a gambler who frequently comes to his table. it is this last violation that threatens to destroy jack/jake's facade of invincibility. he notices a black eye and a cast on the woman's hand. at a party at his publishing liason's house that the two attend, she attempts to draw him into a plot to hold up the casino: her gambling debts have necessitated the action, her bruises coming courtesy of unhappy creditors. his decision is the turning point of the movie leading to its out-of-left-field yet satisfying conclusion. as the movie progresses, the line between the author and his creation is increasingly blurred to the point where you can't tell who's in control anymore: jack's persona seems to be subsumed by jake's. actions are undertaken by jack that seem influenced by jake: you can't tell if jack is going along because he believes in what he's doing or because it'd make for a more interesting book. newcomer clive owen as jack looks like dylan mcdermot with big screen presence -- he brings a suave yet vulnerable attitude to the role. the film is a winning return for director mike hodges, the man who also created the classic get carter and the, uh, less classic morons from outer space. croupier is that rare film that presents its story in a straightforward manner, leaving little ambiguity, but still has you thinking way after you've left the theater. the showing we were at was packed and i understand that it's on its way to cult status: in this day and age where scary movie makes $42 million in one weekend, it's nice to see a great little film succeed. (c) 2000 - fred solinger - please do not reprint without permission. |
