30 Second Bottom Line: A frustrated writer in his early 30's becomes a dealer in a casino to make ends meet, and gather material for a novel on the gambling industry. He prides himself on not being a gambler, yet he becomes involved in a scheme to rob the casino.
Story Line: Jack (Clive Owen) is a pretty boy of sorts who is a former casino dealer (croupier) in Sun City, South Africa, who is out of the business, wanting to make his way as a writer. His live in lover, Marion (Gina McKee), is a department store detective, and former police officer, who sees her job as one of high moral value. Marion very much supports Jack's writing efforts and she loves him, but he only likes her. Jack, at the urging of his father (Nicholas Ball), takes a job at a local, mid-size casino, so he can make ends meet until he can get his writing to produce a livable income. His father's connections get him a job making good money from day one.
As a new croupier, in a cash bind, Jack takes public transportation to and from work. One evening he accepts a ride from another croupier, who clearly is living above his means, as evidenced by his BMW. Marion gets very upset, like a pouting wife, when he comes home late.
Jack is a dealer with an attitude of superiority, who looks down from above at the dummies who refuse to realize that gambling is about ignoring the odds.
Jani (Alex Kingston) plays at Jack's table and manages to conveniently meet him outside the casino, which is a firing offense. It can also get you blacklisted from all casinos. She wants Jack to overreact to a cheater at his table on a given night, so that a robbery can take place during the diversion caused by this commotion. For that he will be paid a handsome sum. Jack is quite satisfied with his job and at first does not agree to participate. When he goes on a date with Jani, he feels sorry for her because she's been beat up for past due debts to a loan shark. If the robbery works as planned, she can pay off the debts.
Tell Me More About It: Jack has an affair with Bella (Kate Hardie) ,another croupier, even though this too is a firing and blacklisting offense. For a man who does not like to gamble, Jack takes a lot of risks. His wandering eye for another patron, Lucy (Loretta Parnell), reinforces to us that Jack likes living on the edge.
Croupier is an engaging movie, as it has the gloss and general feel of Boiler Room, with a more down to earth reality about what really motivates people. Alex Kingston is great on TV's "ER" and is a sexual bombshell in Croupier.
The really fun part of the film is that Jack sees himself above it all. and the events at the casino give him the material to lose his writer's block. Jack is a special gambler in that he can both win and lose at the same time. If only most of us could be that lucky.
DVD