Croupier (film)

Last updated

Croupier
Croupier poster.jpg
Theatrical poster
Directed by Mike Hodges
Written by Paul Mayersberg
Produced by Jonathan Cavendish
Christine Ruppert
Starring
CinematographyMichael Garfath
Edited byLes Healey
Music by Simon Fisher-Turner
Production
company
Distributed by British Film Institute [1]
Release dates
  • 25 June 1998 (1998-06-25)(Singapore)
  • 18 June 1999 (1999-06-18)(United Kingdom)
Running time
94 minutes [2]
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget£3 million [1]
Box office$7,075,068 [3]

Croupier is a 1998 British thriller film directed by Mike Hodges and starring Clive Owen. The film attracted a strong critical following in North America and helped to launch Owen's acting career there. It uses interior monologues in the style of many early noir detective films.

Contents

Croupier was released on DVD by Alliance Atlantis in Canada and Image Entertainment in the US.

Plot

Jack Manfred is an aspiring but as yet unsuccessful writer. To make ends meet and against his better judgment, he takes a job as a croupier at a local casino. The interview was set up by his father, a small-time hustler back home in South Africa.

Jack finds himself drawn into the casino world, and the job gradually takes over his life. He goes drinking with Matt, a croupier who he knows is cheating the casino. He sleeps with a fellow croupier named Bella in violation of casino policy. His relationship with his girlfriend Marion begins to deteriorate when he lets her read part of his book about a cold, unfeeling croupier who enjoys seeing gamblers lose, a character transparently based on Jack himself. Bella confronts Jack at his apartment, accuses him of getting her fired, and tells Marion about the one-night stand.

One gambler, Jani, tries to befriend Jack, another serious violation of casino rules. Jani shows him bruises saying she got them from gambling creditors and asks Jack to be the inside man for a planned robbery at the casino. All he has to do is raise the alarm when a gambler cheats at his table. Jack eventually agrees and accepts a £10,000 advance with an additional £10,000 if all goes well. In doing so, Jack notices that Jani's injuries were faked.

Marion reconciles with Jack but discovers that he is involved in something criminal and tries to foil it. She deletes a phone message for Jack alerting him that the robbery is on for Christmas Eve, and instead alerts a former colleague on the police. On the night of the robbery, Jack gets beaten by the gambler as a distraction while others try to grab the money. They fail, and Jack and Marion have an argument but she stays with him.

When a late-night knock at the door comes, Jack assumes it is the casino robbers demanding the return of their advance money. Instead, it is a policeman, who informs him that Marion has been killed in an apparent hit-and-run.

Jack finishes his book and gets it published anonymously. It is a big success, but he does not change anything about his life, continuing to work as a croupier and live in his basement flat, not even buying the new car he wanted.

Jack goes on with his life and gets another call, this one from Jani, who congratulates him on playing his part in the attempted robbery and implies that she benefited significantly. She then puts his father on the phone, who implies that he set up the croupier job for Jack to arrange for the attempted robbery, and that he benefited as well. Stunned but amused, Jack hangs up. Just then, Bella appears from the bedroom and kisses him.

Cast

Production

Croupier was commissioned by FilmFour and had a budget of £3 million. [1] [4] The Golden Lion casino within the film was located on Bryanston Street, in Marylebone, London. [5]

Reception

Croupier received a muted response upon its initial release in Britain. [1] It was not until its release in the United States that it received widespread critical praise. [1]

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 95% positive rating based on 59 reviews, with an average rating of 7.40 out of 10. The website's critical consensus reads, "The writer slumming for human truths and real experience is a common enough story, but this cool-headed and slick thriller provides a gut-churningly compelling backdrop to a look at our darker sides." [6] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 75 out of 100, based on 28 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [7]

Roger Ebert gave the film three stars out of four, remarking that the point of the film was not the plot, but the atmosphere and characterisation. He also lauded the realistic depiction of the casino itself. [8] Stephen Holden in The New York Times called the movie, "a breezy meditation on life as a game of chance." [9]

The film grossed $7,075,068 at the box office. [3]

The film was ineligible for Academy Award nomination as it had previously had a brief theatrical release in Singapore in 1998. Marketing strategist Mike Kaplan successfully lobbied the academy to grant the film a waiver, but after it was discovered the film has aired on Dutch television it was disqualified. [10]

Related Research Articles

<i>Chasing Amy</i> 1997 film by Kevin Smith

Chasing Amy is a 1997 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Kevin Smith and starring Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, and Jason Lee. The third film in Smith's View Askewniverse series, the film is about a male comic artist (Affleck) who falls in love with a lesbian (Adams), to the displeasure of his best friend (Lee).

<i>The Hot Chick</i> 2002 film by Tom Brady

The Hot Chick is a 2002 American fantasy comedy film directed by Tom Brady, from a screenplay by Brady and Rob Schneider, and starring Schneider, Anna Faris, Matthew Lawrence, Eric Christian Olsen, and Rachel McAdams in her film debut. The film follows Jessica Spencer (McAdams), a mean spirited cheerleader who switches bodies with incompetent criminal Clive Maxtone (Schneider). When Jessica discovers that the switch was caused by a pair of enchanted earrings she had stolen, one of which accidentally ended up in Clive's possession, she enlists the help of her friends to get the earrings back together before the switch becomes permanent.

<i>Alex & Emma</i> 2003 American film

Alex & Emma is a 2003 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Rob Reiner and starring Kate Hudson and Luke Wilson. Written by Jeremy Leven, the film is about a writer who must publish a novel in thirty days or face the wrath of loan sharks.

<i>The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas</i> 2000 comedy film directed by Brian Levant

The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas is a 2000 American romantic comedy film directed by Brian Levant, written by Jim Cash, Harry Elfont, Deborah Kaplan, and Jack Epps, Jr., and is the prequel to Levant's The Flintstones (1994), based on the 1960–1966 animated television series of the same name. The film was developed and produced without the involvement of Steven Spielberg, the executive producer of Levant's The Flintstones (1994). It is set before the events of both the series and the first film, showing how Fred and Barney meet Wilma and Betty. The title is a play on the Elvis Presley song, Viva Las Vegas, also used as the title of an MGM musical film.

<i>Hard Eight</i> (film) 1996 film by Paul Thomas Anderson

Hard Eight is a 1996 American crime film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson in his feature directorial debut, and starring Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, Gwyneth Paltrow and Samuel L. Jackson. It is the expansion of the short film Cigarettes & Coffee. The film follows the life of a senior gambler and a homeless man. It premiered at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival.

<i>Indecent Proposal</i> 1993 American drama film by Adrian Lyne

Indecent Proposal is a 1993 American erotic drama film directed by Adrian Lyne and written by Amy Holden Jones. It is based on the 1988 novel by Jack Engelhard, in which a couple's marriage is disrupted by a stranger's offer of a million dollars for the wife to spend the night with him. It stars Robert Redford, Demi Moore, and Woody Harrelson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clive Owen</span> English British actor

Clive Owen is an English actor. He first gained recognition in the United Kingdom for playing the lead role in the ITV series Chancer from 1990 to 1991. He received critical acclaim for his work in the film Close My Eyes (1991) before earning international attention for his performance as a struggling writer in Croupier (1998). In 2005, he won a Golden Globe and a BAFTA Award and was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in the drama Closer (2004).

<i>Kansas City</i> (film) 1996 American crime film by Robert Altman

Kansas City is a 1996 American crime film directed by Robert Altman, and starring Jennifer Jason Leigh, Miranda Richardson, Harry Belafonte, Michael Murphy and Steve Buscemi. The musical score of Kansas City is integrated into the film, with modern-day musicians recreating the Kansas City jazz of 1930s.

<i>Bob le flambeur</i> 1956 film by Jean-Pierre Melville

Bob le flambeur is a 1956 French heist gangster film directed by Jean-Pierre Melville and starring Roger Duchesne as Bob. It is often considered both a film noir and a precursor to the French New Wave, the latter because of its use of handheld camera and a single jump cut.

<i>Derailed</i> (2005 film) 2005 film by Mikael Håfström

Derailed is a 2005 American crime thriller film based on the novel of the same name by James Siegel. The film was directed by Mikael Håfström and stars Clive Owen, Jennifer Aniston, Vincent Cassel, Giancarlo Esposito, David Morrissey, RZA and Xzibit. The story is based on the Badger Game con. This was the first film to be released by The Weinstein Company in the United States.

Late betting or past posting is making a bet after the time when no more bets are to be taken. It is considered cheating; information may have become available, including the outcome of the event, that was not available to those making earlier bets.

<i>Jinxed!</i> (1982 film) 1982 film by Don Siegel

Jinxed! is a 1982 American comedy film starring Bette Midler, Rip Torn and Ken Wahl. The film was the last to be directed by Don Siegel, who suffered a heart attack during production. Siegel hired Sam Peckinpah, who had worked for him in the past, to shoot second-unit work, for which Peckinpah was uncredited.

<i>Havana</i> (film) 1990 film by Sydney Pollack

Havana is a 1990 American drama film starring Robert Redford, Lena Olin, Alan Arkin and Raul Julia, directed by Sydney Pollack with music by Dave Grusin. The film's plot concerns Jack Weil (Redford), an American professional gambler who decides to visit Havana, Cuba to gamble in 1958 on the eve of the Cuban Revolution.

<i>Loving</i> (1970 film) 1970 film by Irvin Kershner

Loving is a 1970 American comedy-drama film released by Columbia Pictures and directed by Irvin Kershner. It is based on the novel Brooks Wilson Ltd. written by pulp magazine illustrator John McDermott under his pen name J.M. Ryan. The movie starred George Segal in the lead role of a philandering illustrator and Eva Marie Saint as his wife. The cast included Sterling Hayden, David Doyle, Keenan Wynn, Roy Scheider, and Sherry Lansing. Broadway actress Betsy von Furstenberg has a small uncredited role, one of only two motion pictures she ever appeared in.

<i>Finding Amanda</i> 2008 American film

Finding Amanda is a 2008 comedy-drama film directed by Peter Tolan and starring Matthew Broderick and Brittany Snow.

<i>Cheaters</i> (1984 film) 1984 French film

Cheaters is a 1984 drama film directed by Barbet Schroeder. Starring Jacques Dutronc and Bulle Ogier, it tells the story of two gamblers, a man and a woman, who team up in a casino and eventually realise that, however clever you think you are, you will always lose unless you cheat.

<i>Confessions of a Cheat</i> 1936 French film

Le Roman d'un tricheur is a 1936 film starring, written and directed by Sacha Guitry. It was adapted from Guitry's only novel, Les Mémoires d'un tricheur, published in 1935.

<i>Words and Pictures</i> (film) 2013 film

Words and Pictures is a 2013 American drama film directed by Fred Schepisi and starring Clive Owen, Juliette Binoche, and Keegan Connor Tracy. It was screened in the Gala Presentation section at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival.

<i>The Lady Pays Off</i> 1951 film by Douglas Sirk

The Lady Pays Off is a 1951 American romantic comedy film starring Linda Darnell, Stephen McNally and Gigi Perreau, and directed by Douglas Sirk. A teacher finds herself with a large gambling debt that she has to pay off in an unusual way.

<i>The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar</i> (film) 2023 American short film

Roald Dahl's The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, or simply The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, is a 2023 American fantasy short film written, co-produced, and directed by Wes Anderson, based on the 1977 short story "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar" by Roald Dahl. It is the second film adaptation of a Dahl work directed by Anderson, following Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009). It stars Benedict Cumberbatch as the titular character alongside Ralph Fiennes, Dev Patel, Ben Kingsley, and Richard Ayoade. The story sees a rich man learning about a clairvoyant guru who could see without using his eyes through the power of a particular form of Yoga, then setting out to master the skill in order to cheat at gambling.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Ellison, Michael (9 June 2000). "When the chips are down". The Guardian .
  2. ↑ Philip Strick (July 1999). "Croupier (1997)". Sight & Sound . Archived from the original on 19 April 2024. Retrieved 19 April 2024. 94 minutes 14 seconds
  3. 1 2 "Croupier (2000)". Box Office Mojo . 28 August 2002. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  4. ↑ Ellison, Michael (9 June 2000). "When the chips are down". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 June 2020– via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ Adam Scovel (21 June 2023). "Croupier at 25: tracking down the London locations today". BFI .
  6. ↑ "Croupier (2000)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  7. ↑ "Croupier Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  8. ↑ Ebert, Roger (21 April 2000). "Croupier". Chicago Sun-Times . Retrieved 6 March 2024– via RogerEbert.com.
  9. ↑ Holden, Stephen (21 April 2000). "FILM REVIEW; Born for Gambling, in a Casino and Metaphysically". The New York Times . Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  10. ↑ Goldstein, Patrick (14 November 2000). "An Oscar for Croupier Doesn't Seem in the Cards". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on 9 January 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.