Croupier [Blu-ray]

In some ways this movie was very well done. A lot of complex things are happening. It feels like an "adult" film in the sense that the protagonist voluntarily gets involved in very complex, morally-questionable situations. And there's a wonderful sense of unpredictability.But in the end, this film makes no sense to me, and the main character seemed kind of cold and soulless, right from the beginning. If you don't like the main character, and the plot doesn't make sense to you, then it's hard to like the movie as a whole, yes?The main character is obsessed with following some rules, but not other rules. Why?? And why does he seem so stiff and emotionless most of the time? Is he a sociopath?Here's a question, what's with the lady who just dies out of the blue at the end of the film? Why does the main character smile so much after getting the phone call at the end? What actually is the motivation of all the women in this movie? I spent a couple minutes searching online for answers to these questions and found no satisfying answers. It's possible that this movie is trying to be very, very clever like a Hitchcock movie, but it just doesn't work for me. On the other hand, a lot of things about the film are well done. Summary: interesting, but no soul.

Clive Owen is a struggling writer who gets a job as a dealer at a casino in London. That leads him into a world of gamblers, crooks and women. Owen as usual stands out. He plays a very smart man who gives a voice over of his thoughts about his work and the people he runs into. The casino ends up becoming an entirely new life for him that starts pushing everything old out. He even starts calling himself by a new name at work. It has a real Film Noir feel to it with Owen being the man in the middle of a corrupt world trying to see if he can tame it or not. It also keeps you interested as there are twists and turns and the ending it a real surprise.

Acting, sets, filmography...all good. But the plot. that's the "huh?" Jack is a croupier at a casino in England, a position arranged by his father who is a bar tender at a South African casino. Spoiler alert. Everything seems plausible until near the end. Jack gets $10,000 (or maybe it was pounds) from a South African woman, Jani, to take part in a distraction during a robbery at the casino where Jack works. Jack feels sorry for Jani who is having money troubles. She doesn't even have enough for a plane ticket back to South Africa. The robbery fails, but Jack keeps the $10K. Suddenly Jack's girlfriend dies. Jack has a moment when he wonders if it might be related to the attempted robbery. But that lasts about 2 seconds, then the policeman suggests that it was retribution because she was a former police officer. But she's been a department store security guard (catching shoplifters) for the past two years, so hmmm, who would want to kill her? But okay. There's more. At the end of the film, Jani calls Jack. She is very happy. Her money troubles are over. She is going to MARRY JACK'S DAD. So, let me get this straight. Jani was having money trouble, but was about to give Jack $10K before the attempted robbery. The robbery fails. The robbers don't get any money. Somehow, though, Jani gets back to South Africa, seems to have money, and is marrying Jack's bartender dad. Doesn't make sense.

well-written. Clive Owen is great in this, love how he sizes ppl up so quickly. Thought it would go further in the Marion case but it did not. Highly recommend.

Jack is a loser by all measures of success; a failed author, unemployed, lives off his girlfriend's expense and ends up selling his only possession - a sports car given to him by dad. But Jack does have a talent: he's a gifted Croupier (a dealer - an attendent who collects and places bets). When his gambler/con-artist father arranges an interview with the head of a Casino, Jack reluctantly agrees only because he needs the money. But once behind the gaming tables, Jack is in his element and reigns supreme. Here every gambler loses because the odds are always stacked against them, and Jack "never gambles." The rush Jack gets from his job energizes everything else in his life and becomes the inspiration for the Novel he always wanted to write, but soon Jack will experience what he's always known: "hold on tightly, let go lightly" - everything has a consequence. Since he is no longer dependent on his girlfriend Marion, she feels threatened. His success has also made him a target of temptation, and the man who "never gambles" may become the biggest gambler of them all. The acting by Gina McKee as Marion is outstanding, and Clive Owen, who also narrates this film in the third person, was perfectly cast as Jack, the Croupier. He plays the role with a detached, cool and calculated sense of irony that makes the character facinating to watch. When Owen made this film he was a virtual unknown, but three years later fortune would find him as "the driver" in series of excellent short films sponsored by BMW as part of a marketing strategy for the auto maker. And now he's been nominated by the Academy!

Good story. Entertaining. Watched it once then donated to British Heart Foundation. I am not a collector.

Great film, terrible quality DVD. Kept jumping and gave up in the end.

Superb film. I believe this film explores the boundaries between fact and fiction, life becoming art and art becoming life. It is about writing or creating anything out of nothing. Jack Manfred is the detatched voyeur, looking down on his subject, the casino. also, he is writing about the gamble of everyday life. But he himself doesn't gamble. He wants to get into people's heads as they read his novel on the tube. an underground man! ha ha. The only problem is, he's becoming his main character as he is writing it. He is becoming Jake. Jake is the protagonist, the zombie and little shi* as Marion, his girlfriend calls him when she reads it. He has also gotten himself entangled in a robbery at the casino where he works. Is it Jack or is it Jake? or both?If you like cynical and comic narration and if you liked American Psycho, then you should love this. Clive Owen and Christian Bale in these films have pulled out performances which may not be matched for the rest of their careers. But for art and becoming art, its worth it, isn't it?What a shame this film was ignored in Britain, it actually did not get a full release at theatres, but i was lucky enough to be living in london near an arthouse cinema. If you love playful, intelligent and complex films and If you've secretly wanted to be a writer, this film is definitely for you. This is cinema at its very best, the best british film in many, many years. Yes there are flaws here and there, but this is the most addictive film i think i've ever watched. REPETITIVE VIEWING IS ESSENTIAL!!! Thankyou Mike Hodges.Its all numbers, the croupier thought...enjoy

well acted if somewhat predictable

Brilliant thriller