f i l m Croupier
Director : Mike Hodges
Cast : Clive Owen, Kate Hardie, Alex Kingston, Gina McKee, Alexander Morton, Nicholas Ball
(Channel Four Films, 1997/2000) Rated: R by P. Nelson Reinsch
PopMatters Film Critic
e-mail this article Pulling Your Strings D irector Mike Hodges is most famous for his classic British gangster film Get Carter (featuring what may be Michael Caine's finest work and may soon look even more classic due to an upcoming remake with Sylvester Stallone). His latest film, Croupier Erin Brockovich or Rules of Engagement (or even the latest offering from Sly), Croupier offers those who seek it out many pleasures, not the least of which is the intriguing protagonist Jack Manfred. ER ), who wants to rob the casino. At this point, Jack's novel and the movie have lots of potential. But Jack is no "white knight" righting wrongs in the city. He is driven by nothing other than his own detached curiosity. With his fedora on his head, particularly when writing, Jack resembles the detectives of so many U.S. films noirs, as well as protagonists from Godard's and Melville's crime films. Like these characters, Jack keeps a level head and his eyes open as women either melt in front of him or try to manipulate him, and has a few principles which he rigidly observes. The only emotion he ever allows to surface is rage, directed at anyone who cheats at gambling (he refuses to gamble, knowing the odds). After he catches one cheater at the Golden Lion, the fellow ambushes Jack on the street one night after work, and Jack hits and kicks him after he is prostate. If the punters don't like the odds, he reasons, they shouldn't gamble. | |
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