Jack Abramoff is complex and not-wholly evil, selfish,greedy though his actions has caused millions of dollars in loss to Indian tribes, corporations, and individuals. He is deeply religious, a committed family man who would never consider cheating on his wife though beautiful women are constantly thrown in his path, he generously gives to charities and builds institutions for good works. Yet, he wields power as a lobbyist on Capitol Hill to gain great wealth at the expense of others. He tempts, bribes and bullies senators and congress people to do as he and his special interest clients desire. Thus, he erodes the very core of democracy and the Constitution.
It's only fair to say he sees himself as a moral man and in many aspects of his personality, he is. It's his associates who make the decisions that lead them all into corruption and even murder. He warns them that is not the path to take and, at the least, bad Karma will follow. But Jack's flaw is that he doesn't stop them, does not protest enough. He succumbs to temptation and knowingly allows them to proceed. That is the flaw in this otherwise brilliant, loving, charming man. This is a very engrossing study of a real character who
And who better to play this very high energy, manipulative and ambitious man than Kevin Spacey? This is the kind of character that Spacey has thrived on his whole career, from 'Glengarry Glen Ross' (1992) and 'Swimming with Sharks' (1994) to 'American Beauty' (1999). His most successful portrayals have been of the fast talking, aggressive, self-possessed, driven men. This is no exception. His co-stars are just as adept in their roles: Barry Pepper as Michael Scanlon, Abramoff's even more driven partner with less common sense or morality and Jon Lovitz as a sloppy, pathetic investor in a cruise ship gambling scam. Kelly Preston plays Abramoff's wife who unsuccessfully tries to keep him in line.
This film shows us poor saps who only vote our representatives into office what they do once they get there. Names of actual people are named and what they did clearly delineated. By the end of the film, I found myself actually rooting for Abramoff, hoping he would bring down the system that bit his hand as he fed them -- exotic vacations, prostitutes, political contributions and anything else that would sway them to turn their backs on their constituents.
Casino Jack
Director: George Hickenlooper
Writer: Norman Snider
Cast: Kevin Spacey, Barry Pepper, Kelly Preston, Jon Lovitz, Rachelle Lefevre
Time: 108 nmin
Rated: R
Opening December 22 in San Francisco
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