| Casino Jack and the United States of Money | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Alex Gibney |
| Produced by | Bill Banowsky Mark Cuban Benjamin Goldhirsh Jeff Skoll Todd Wagner Diane Weyermann |
| Written by | Alex Gibney |
| Music by | David Robbins |
| Cinematography | Maryse Alberti |
| Edited by | Alison Ellwood |
Jigsaw Productions Participant Media | |
| Distributed by | Magnolia Pictures |
| |
| 118 minutes | |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $176,865 |
Casino Jack and the United States of Money is a 2010 documentary film directed by Alex Gibney.
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Synopsis[edit]
The film focuses on the career of Washington, D.C. lobbyist, businessman, and con man[1]Jack Abramoff, who was involved in a massive corruption scandal that led to the conviction of himself, two BushWhite House officials, Rep.Bob Ney, and nine other lobbyists and congressional staffers. Abramoff was convicted of fraud, conspiracy, and tax evasion in 2006[2] and of trading expensive gifts, meals and sports trips in exchange for political favors.[3] As of December 2010 Abramoff has completed his prison sentence.[4]
Contributors[edit]
- Juan Babauta – Governor, CNMI (2002–2006)
- Jim Benedetto – Federal Labor Ombudsman, CNMI (2002-2008)
- Pamela Brown – Former Attorney General, CNMI
- Tom DeLay – U.S. Congressman (R-TX) (1984–2006)
- Nina Easton – Author, Gang of Five
- Peter Fitzgerald – U.S. Senator (R-IL) (1999–2005)
- Thomas Frank – Author, The Wrecking Crew
- David Grosh – Former Rehoboth Beach lifeguard
- Carlos Hisa – Lt. Governor, Tigua Tribe of El Paso, Texas
- Robert G. Kaiser – Author, So Damn Much Money
- Adam Kidan – Former owner, SunCruz Casinos
- Shawn Martin – Reporter, American Press of Lake Charles, Louisiana
- Rep. George Miller (D-CA)
- Bob Ney – U.S. Congressman, (R-OH) (1995–2006)
- Ron Platt – Former Greenberg Traurig lobbyist
- Tom Rodgers – Lobbyist, Carlyle Consulting
- Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA)
- Khaled Saffuri – Public affairs consultant, Meridian Strategies
- Susan Schmidt – Former reporter, The Washington Post
- David Sickey – Vice Chairman, Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana
- Melanie Sloan – Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW)
- Peter Stone – Author, Heist: Superlobbyist Jack Abramoff
- Froilan Tenorio – Governor, CNMI (1994–1998)
- Neil Volz – Former Chief of Staff to Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH)
- J. Michael Waller – Director, Institute of World Politics
Reception[edit]
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 83% based on 65 reviews, and an average rating of 7.1/10. The website's critical consensus reads, 'Casino Jack's subject matter is enraging, but in the hands of director Alex Gibney, it's also well-presented and briskly entertaining.'[5]
References[edit]
- ^Kojo Nnamdi, Alex Gibney, Bob Ney, Neil Volz 'Casino Jack'WAMU-FM April 29, 2010
- ^Forsythe, Michael (2006-01-03). 'Abramoff Pleads Guilty, Will Help in Corruption Probe (Update4)'. Bloomberg. Retrieved 2015-10-16.
- ^'Americas | US lobbyist jailed for corruption'. BBC News. 2008-09-04. Retrieved 2015-10-16.
- ^'After prison, the next step'. Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2015-10-16.
- ^'Casino Jack and the United States of Money (2010)'. Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
External links[edit]
- Casino Jack and the United States of Money on IMDb
| Casino Jack | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | George Hickenlooper |
| Produced by | Gary Howsam Bill Marks George Zakk |
| Written by | Norman Snider |
| Starring | Kevin Spacey Barry Pepper Rachelle Lefevre Kelly Preston Jon Lovitz Maury Chaykin |
| Music by | Jonathan Goldsmith |
| Cinematography | Adam Swica |
| Edited by | William Steinkamp |
Hannibal Pictures Rollercoaster Entertainment | |
| Distributed by | Art Takes Over Films (ATO) |
| |
| 108 minutes | |
| Country | Canada[1] |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $12.5 million |
| Box office | $1.1 million[2] |
Casino Jack (known in certain territories as Bagman) is a 2010 comedy-dramathriller film directed by George Hickenlooper and starring Kevin Spacey. The film focuses on the career of Washington, D.C. lobbyist and businessman Jack Abramoff, who was involved in a massive corruption scandal that led to his conviction as well as the conviction of two White House officials, Rep.Bob Ney, and nine other lobbyists and congressional staffers. Abramoff was convicted of fraud, conspiracy and tax evasion in 2006,[3] and of trading expensive gifts, meals and sports trips in exchange for political favors.[4][5] Abramoff served three and a half years of a six-year sentence in federal prison, and was then assigned to a halfway house. He was released on December 3, 2010.
Spacey was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his portrayal of Abramoff, eventually losing to Paul Giamatti for his role in Barney's Version.[6]
Plot[edit]
A hot shot Washington DC lobbyist and his protégé go down hard as their schemes to peddle influence lead to corruption and murder.
Cast[edit]
- Kevin Spacey as Jack Abramoff
- Kelly Preston as Pam Abramoff
- Rachelle Lefevre as Emily J. Miller
- Barry Pepper as Michael Scanlon
- Jon Lovitz as Adam Kidan
- John David Whalen as Kevin A. Ring
- Yannick Bisson as Oscar Carillo
- Graham Greene as Bernie Sprague
- Eric Schweig as Chief Poncho
- Maury Chaykin as Big Tony
- Christian Campbell as Ralph Reed
- Spencer Garrett as Tom DeLay
- Joe Pingue as Anthony Ferrari
- David Fraser as Karl Rove
- Jeffrey R. Smith as Grover Norquist
- Daniel Kash as Gus Boulis
- Conrad Pla as Agent Hanley
- Hannah Endicott-Douglas as Sarah Abramoff
- Ruth Marshall as Susan Schmidt
- Reid Morgan as Brian Mann
- Duke Redbird as Senator Nighthorse
Production[edit]
Filming took place in June 2009 in various locations across Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, including McMaster University and downtown Hamilton. The film was scheduled for release in December 2010 and premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.[7]
This was Hickenlooper's final film. He died on October 29, 2010, seven weeks before its scheduled December 17, 2010, national opening.[8]
Reception[edit]
Casino Jack received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 39%, based on 97 reviews, with an average rating of 5.4/10. The website's critical consensus reads, 'Kevin Spacey turns in one of his stronger performances, but Casino Jack is a disappointingly uneven fictionalized account of a fascinating true story.'[9] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 51 out of 100, based on 24 critics, indicating 'mixed or average reviews'.[10]
Roger Ebert gave the film three out of four stars, stating that 'Casino Jack is so forthright, it is stunning.'[11]
References[edit]
- ^'Casino Jack -- Film Review by Michael Rechtshaffen'. thehollywoodreporter.com. October 14, 2010. Retrieved February 18, 2011.
- ^'Casino Jack (2010)'. Box Office Mojo. 2011-04-07. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
- ^Abramoff Pleads Guilty, Will Help in Corruption ProbeArchived December 29, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
- ^'US lobbyist jailed for corruption'. BBC News. 2008-09-04. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
- ^'Abramoff Gets Reduced Sentence of Four Years in Prison'. Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
- ^Kevin SpaceyArchived August 12, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^Evans, Ian (2010), 'Casino Jack premiere photos - 35th Toronto International Film Festival', DigitalHit.com, retrieved 2012-04-10
- ^'Entertainment News, Celebrity Interviews and Pop Culture - ABC News'. Abcnews.go.com. Retrieved 2012-12-16.
- ^'Casino Jack (2010)'. Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
- ^'Casino Jack Reviews'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
- ^Ebert, Roger. 'Casino Jack'. RogerEbert.com. Ebert Digital LLC.
External links[edit]
Casino Jack Documentary online, free
- Casino Jack at AllMovie
- Casino Jack at Box Office Mojo
- Casino Jack on IMDb
- Casino Jack at Metacritic
- Casino Jack at Rotten Tomatoes
- Casino Jack production website at Hannibal Pictures