Susan Granger’s review of “Casino Jack” (ATO Pictures)
“Washington is Hollywood with ugly faces,” Jack Abramoff once observed.
A former Beverly Hills brat who became an Orthodox Jew after seeing “Fiddler on the Roof,” Abramoff is a legendary, ethically challenged Washington, D.C. super-lobbyist whose connections to the rich, influential and powerful allowed him to amass an excessive fortune – before being sent to prison.
Two-time Oscar winner Kevin Spacey stars in this irreverent chronicle of Abramoff’s most notorious escapades, including his friendship with now-disgraced and convicted former Congressman Tom DeLay and ties to Karl Rove and President George W. Bush.
As the story begins, Abramoff has connived Congressmen to give favorable trade status to the Marianas Islands, where child labor in sweatshops is commonplace. That puts him in the forefront to grab even higher-paying Beltway clients, like a Native American tribe that’s after bigger casino profits by prohibiting a rival tribe from acquiring a gambling license, while Abramoff’s sycophantic partner Michael Scanlon (Barry Pepper) is negotiating with the Indians’ competitor, promising them rights to the coveted casino. Then there’s another lucrative deal involving a shifty Florida cruise operator who specializes in ‘trips to nowhere,’ hosting guests who gamble in international waters. Illegal? You bet. Uncommon? Not at all.
Inspired by true events, the screenplay is written by Norman Snider and directed by George Hickenlooper (“Factory Girl,” “The Man From Elysian Fields,” “Heart of Darkness”), who died several months ago from an accidental overdose at age 47.
It takes an adroit actor to handle narcissistic Abramoff’s brazen, richly textured, darkly absurdist allegiances with their shifting emotions, and cynical, cocksure brilliant Kevin Spacey more than meets the real-life challenges posed by a Congress caked with moral decay. Kelly Preston plays Abramoff’s loyal wife Pam with comedian Jon Lovitz providing comic relief as Adam Kidan, his bumbling, mob-connected buddy.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Casino Jack” is an irreverent, satirical 7, revealing a litany of pungent and provocative scandals. And if you’re intrigued by Abramoff’s antics, check out Alex Gibney’s 2010 documentary, “Casino Jack and the United States of Money.”
