Review of Casino Jack (2010) by Niki H — 28 Nov 2010

A terrific idea that doesn't quite work because the director and screenwriter have so much material, they don't know how to shape it. It's the true story of Jack Abramoff, and his cronies Tom DeLay and other memorable names from recent headlines.

Kevin Spacey gives another spec-ta-cular performance, but the tone of the movie is all over the place: it's often played for comedy (Jon Lovitz is hilarious in a supporting role). Then there's the expository clips of real events from C-Span, and the serious scenes that involve big issues, along with swipes at the Republicans in power.

It's an important topic, but this isn't the definitive explanation of what went wrong. (It's also amazing to note in the credits that the film was produced by the Government of Canada!).