Casino Jack (2010)

Not to be confused with the documentary Casino Jack and the United States of Money (2010), this would be funny if not for the fact that it's based on the true exploits of the greedy shysters Abramoff and his partner Michael Scanlon. Kevin Spacey and Barry Pepper are narcissistic perfection as Jack and Michael respectively. I loved Spacey's Oscar-winning work in The Usual Suspects (1995) and American Beauty (1999), as well as Glengarry Glen Ross (1992), The Ref (1994), L.A. Confidential (1997), Pay It Forward (2000), The United States of Leland (2003), Superman Returns (2006), 21 (2008), and my personal favorite, as a mean Hollywood producer in Swimming with Sharks (1994), plus he had a small part in The Men Who Stare at Goats, and was the voice of the HAL-like computer in Moon. I was afraid to see Saving Private Ryan (1998) and forgot to see the TV movie 61* (2001), but apparently Pepper was great in those as Private Jackson and Roger Maris (nominated for Emmy, Golden Globe, and Critics Choice awards for the latter). I did see, and liked Pepper in The Green Mile (1999), The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005), and, of course True Grit, in which he played Lucky Ned Pepper. The supporting cast brings much to the table, including Jon Lovitz (best known for Saturday Night Live (1985-92), he's done lots of other work, including part of the ensemble in Happiness (1998)) as a crooked client, Kelly Preston (best known as Mrs. John Travolta, she was nominated for Razzies for Worst Supporting Actress on The Cat in the Hat (2003) which WAS awful, and for Old Dogs (2009) (we avoided it) and won for Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000 (2000)) as Mrs. Abramoff, Graham Greene (115 roles, including his Oscar nomination for Dances with Wolves (1990)), and Rachelle Lefevre (the redhead wife in Barney's Version).

Director George Hickenlooper (Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apolcalypse (1991), Mayor of the Sunset Strip (2003), more) unfortunately died at age 47, seven weeks before the December 2010 release of this movie. Probably just as well, because it was poorly received--36% from critics and 37% from audiences on rottentomatoes--unlike its brother documentary which earned 84% and 80%. We didn't hate this, and laughed a number of times, although it is a bit long and many factual details are left out, perhaps because the filmmakers thought we should know them. We saw it in a limited release on a big screen, and it's now out on DVD, with, according to one reviewer, a photo diary from the director and more insight into the great talent of Kevin Spacey.