Croupier
CROUPIERÂ (15)
D: Mike Hodges
BFI/Little Bird/Channel 4 (Jonathan
Cavendish)
UK/Ireland/France 🇬🇧 🇮🇪 🇫🇷 1998Â
94 mins
Â
Drama/Thriller
Â
W:Â Paul Mayersberg
DP: Michael Garfath
Ed: Les Healey
Mus: Simon Fisher-Turner
Â
Clive Owen (Jack Manfred), Kate Hardie
(Bella), Alex Kingston (Jani de Villiers), Gina McKee (Marion Nell)
Â
A lukewarm hit when it was originally released in
1998, but after it received a cult following in the US it was re-released in 2000 to much better receipts, launching a successful career of it's lead actor, Clive Owen.
He plays Jack Manfred, a budding author and former
croupier who returns to work in the casino, where he avoids the temptations to be dishonest, especially when South African femme fatale Jani de Villiers (Alex Kingston) becomes one of his
regular customers.
It's a low key thriller with a neat ending, but the
real asset is the performance of Clive Owen. He really should have been the new James Bond rather than Daniel Craig.
7/10
