Sunday, January 16, 2011

Casino Jack: Abramoff Deconstructed

Following in a long line of movies about the recent crooks in Washington (including Inside Story, Wall Street Two, and more on the way), Casino Jack focuses on the antics of Jack Abramoff, the Washington lobbiest convicted of influence peddling and other high-profile schemes and rip-offs.

The release of the movie is timely, as it opens with scenes of Abramoff flying former House majority leader Tom Delay around to various junkets and resorts as part of Abramoff's attempt to buy favors in Congress, something for which Delay was recently convicted. And if Matt Taibbi's recent article on John Boehner is to be believed, the practice or corporations buying-off Congress is hardly over.

The casting of the film is great - particularly Kevin Spacey as Abramoff and Barry Pepper as his sidekick, Michael Scanlon (or Scallion, as one of the characters refers to him). Spacey brings a manic bravado to the character that helps us understand how it was possible that a putz like Abramoff could rip of Indian tribes for millions of dollars, bribe nearly every important elected Republican official, and have the chutzpah to buy a fleet of floating casinos. He portrays Abramoff as both a megalomaniac ("I work out every day!" he says in the mirror, to pump himself up) as well as some kind of Zionist benefactor, opening kosher restaurants and Hebrew schools to satisfy some insatiable need to re-create the world in his image.

Meanwhile, Pepper's Scanlon is a happy-go-lucky, inept prick who has the good (or bad) fortune to follow in Abramoff's wake, sucking up the flying millions on the way.

Together, Abramoff and Scanlon concoct a scam to get themselves hired as consultants to an Indian tribe that needs to keep the Feds from approving a casino for a neighboring tribe. Abramoff uses his bought-off buddies in Congress (most specifically Robert Ney) to scam the Indians into believing he can block the neighboring casino from happening if only the Indians will pay him a hefty sum of twenty million. When the tribe elders balk, Abramoff rigs the internal affairs of the tribe to have the nay-sayers thrown off the council.

All this sounds like it might make a fascinating expose, the way Charles Ferguson does in Inside Job, or a dramatic diatribe a la Fair Game. But the team behind Casino Jack are more interested in creating a political farce a la In the Loop or Charlie Wilson's War.

The problem here is that the complexities of the real-life story are difficult to simplify for the kind of dark comedy that Casino Jack wants to be. The first half of the movie is narration-heavy as Spacey has to handle the narrative weight of explaining Abramoff's complicated schemes as well as giving us a glimpse into his character. Spacey's intense performance also overshadows the black comedy the writer and directors are searching for, and the film takes a while to establish its tone.

At first strident and expository, Casino Jack finally gets its strut when Jon Lovitz enters the story as Adam Kidan, a two-bit Jewish mattress-store owner who's loosely connected to the mob. I've never thought of Lovitz as brilliant, really, but he brings just the right kooky energy to the plot as Abramoff tries to set up the unpredictable Kidan as a front for the floating casino he wants to buy from a heavy-handed Greek having trouble with his taxes. Kidan proceeds to screw things up, and gets his mob friends (particularly Maury Chaykin as mobster Big Tony) into the picture. Lovitz and Chaykin are both brilliant as half-harmless, half-scary fuckups who proceed to ruin Abramoff's life. There's this great bit where Big Tony rubs Kidan's hand saying "kissela, messela" as a relaxation technique, then gives him a sudden "boo," as a scare. It's a great metaphor for how Big Tony goes about doing his mob thing.

Both Big Tony and Kidan are even bigger sociopaths than Abramoff...and Scanlon a bigger fuck up...which is ultimately what takes down Abramoff and associates at the end. By the time we're in the final hearings with McCain, the movie is truly a great black comedy of political malfeasance.

The problem that I have - more than how long the movie takes to get there - is that the malfeasance in question is a lot more serious than the charismatic Spacey allows it to seem. He does almost too good a job making us like this Abramoff crook. But after all, what Abramoff did wasn't a movie - it was criminal - and almost like Abramoff himself, the film doesn't quite want to deal with its consequences.

I like this movie, I really did. The second half is a fantastic black comedy of the influence peddling of the Bush years. It's just that when you really know about everything that happened, you feel more like crying than laughing. I'm not sure the movie knows quite how to handle that tone.

624 comments:

  1. I don't agree with previous commentator. Kevin Spacey is my favourite actor. He always play brilliant characters. Because of that I respect him. Also great guy is Matt Damon. https://casinority.com/10-best-casino-movies/ There I have found something more about gambling in moviessomething more about gambling in movies

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Suatu permainan situs judi terdapat bermacam-macam jenis taruhan dan jenis taruhan yang banyak di mainkan para bettor adalah taruhan mix parlay. Karena jenis taruhan mix parlay sangat mudah untuk dimainkan. Jika anda bermain pada agen bola terpercaya pastinya anda akan diberikan panduan bermain agar anda bisa dengan mudah memainkan permainan judi bola dengan menggunakan taruhan mix parlay.

      Delete
  2. I have read your blog it is very helpful for me. I want to say thanks to you. I have bookmark your site for future updates.
    Sbobet Terbaik Dan Terpercaya

    ReplyDelete
  3. Replies
    1. Memainkan game judi bola dilaksanakan dengan mengakses website agen judi bola di dunia online. Sebelum mulai bermain, pastikan website agen judi
      yang anda jalan masuk sudah benar-benar terjamin sebagai penyedia layanan game judi bola online autentik. Di dunia online sendiri, tak sedikit agen-agen judi yang ternyata sebagai agen judi palsu. Alih-alih mengincar profit dari permainan judi, mengakses website agen palsu malahan dapat memberi kerugian bagi pemain. Untuk dapat memutuskan originalitas agen judi yang anda jalan masuk, anda dapat mencoba mengeceknya melewati jumlah anggota aktif yang teregistrasi, pelayanan yang diberi, serta dari penawaran hadiah yang diberi.

      Delete
  4. Replies
    1. Bila anda berkeinginan menerima banyak opsi tipe pasaran taruhan dalam sebuah permainan judi online sebaiknya anda dapat melaksanakan taruhan ini pada sebuah laman bandar judi bola yang telah terpercaya. Ada sebagian tipe pasaran taruhan judi bola ada di dalam laman bandar bola online terpercaya yang nantinya anda sepatutnya kenal dan pahami secara khusus dulu sebelum anda memasang taruhan pada laman bandar bola online terpercaya.

      Delete
  5. Your blogger is great, and makes everyone see your blog over and over again

    Slot Online Terpercaya
    Jasabola
    Liga88

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks for taking the time to discuss that, I feel strongly about this and so really like getting to know more on this kind of field. Do you mind updating your blog post with additional insight? It should be really useful for all of us. 토토사이트, 사설토토, 안전토토

    ReplyDelete
  7. Untuk penggemar judi osg777 slot online uang asli, segera main di http://bandar-osg777.com/ sekarang juga.

    ReplyDelete
  8. http://agentangkasonline.org/ adalah agen judi bola tangkas online terpercaya Indonesia resmi tangkasnet Asia.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Suka main judi sabung ayam? sabung ayam online? mainkan sekarang di https://games128.co/ dengan mobile anda!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Took me time to read all the comments, but I really enjoyed the article. It proved to be Very helpful to me and I am sure to all the commenters here! It’s always nice when you can not only be informed, but also entertained! บาคาร่า

    ReplyDelete
  11. This article is interesting, hopefully useful for all of us, and don't forget to visit our website
    Judi Online
    Togel Online
    Slot Online
    Casino Online
    Judi Bola

    ReplyDelete
  12. I have bookmarked your blog, the articles are way better than other similar blogs.. thanks for a great blog! koktale

    ReplyDelete
  13. MykonosGirls offers in Mykonos Callgirls, Pornstars, Escorts, Models, Partygirls, Playmate & Companions service. Enjoy moments with our escorts mykonos.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Replies
    1. Apakah anda memang menyenangi permainan judi bola online tentunya bila anda menyenangi permainan judi bola oleh anda harusnya telah mengenal semua hal maupun aspek yang sungguh-sungguh penting dikala bermain judi bola online bola88 bagus itu aturan, tata metode, maupun hal lainnya.

      Delete
  15. Thank you for allow me to comment in here
    togel Sgp

    ReplyDelete
  16. Replies
    1. Dan anda dapat memutuskan apa saja yang patut anda lakukan dan juga di dalam taruhan hendaknya anda mengaplikasikan taruhan bandar bola
      yang anda kuasai sebab tentunya di dalam bermain judi bola online ini ada sebagian jenis taruhan ya mungkin anda tak dapat merajai tiap taruhan hal yang demikian karenanya dengan demikian itu pilihlah cuma salah satu taruhan saja yang dapat anda kuasai.

      Delete
  17. bukankah sekedar hingga di engkau beberapa penjudi tambah sanggup membaur dgn dgn komune yg di mana memanglah di dalamnya yaitu beberapa penjudi permainan Judi Card Indonesia Online http://dtpochevidets.ru/forum/user/1057114/

    ReplyDelete

  18. This article is interesting, if you want to know more visit our website.
    Togel Hongkong

    ReplyDelete
  19. Thank you for allow me to comment in here, YOUR ARITKEL IS VERY NICE

    Situs Judi
    Situs Judi Online
    Casino Online

    ReplyDelete
  20. This article is interesting, hopefully useful for all of us, and don't forget to visit our website
    Judi Online
    Togel Online
    Slot Online
    Casino Online
    Judi Bola

    ReplyDelete


  21. This article is interesting, if you want to know more visit our website.
    situs judi online



    ReplyDelete




  22. This article is interesting, if you want to know more visit our website.
    situs judi online

    ReplyDelete



  23. This article is interesting, if you want to know more visit our website.
    Togel Singapura
    Slot Game
    live casino online


    ReplyDelete
  24. PendekarQQ ialah Situs Agen QQ Online untuk bermain Judi Pokerqq pokerqq Domino99 Online terpercaya di Indonesia yang mudah menang dengan Bonus Terbesar.

    ReplyDelete
  25. 2019 Indian independence Day Celebration Whats app satus, quotes spech, sms. Indian nation celebrates its 2019 Independence Day today on 15th August - let's get involved in India's rich history, freedom struggles, and independence significance. Jai Hind!

    ReplyDelete



  26. This article is interesting, if you want to know more visit our website.
    situs judi online

    ReplyDelete



  27. This article is interesting, if you want to know more visit our website.
    Togel Singapura
    Slot Game
    live casino online




    ReplyDelete
  28. Il était une fois, dans une époque très lointaine, vivait un jeune couple non loin de Paris dans une chaumière. Ce couple, pleins d’ambitions et fougueux de vivre une vie merveilleuse avait un terrible handicap, la jeune femme avait toujours les pieds froids. Son amant essaya tant bien que mal de la réchauffer de toutes les façons possibles mais les pieds de sa douce restaient en vain glacés. Un soir d’hier, alors qu’il était au bord de la cheminée entrain de tricoter un col roulé il eut alors l’idée de coudre le bout de sa manche. Aussitôt fini, la jeune l’enfila autour de son pied, chaussette haute est née.

    ReplyDelete


  29. This article is interesting, if you want to know more visit our website.
    agen bola terpercaya
    judi togel online
    judi bola
    taruhan bola

    ReplyDelete






  30. Hopefully this article useful for us, do not forget also through our web

    agen bola terpercaya

    judi togel online

    judi bola

    taruhan bola







    ReplyDelete

  31. Thank you for the good information provided, also visit our page

    Togel Singapura

    Slot Game

    live casino online

    deposit via Pulsa

    ReplyDelete
  32. 한국 대표 먹튀검증사이트 다음드 추천 안전공원 메이저놀이터 배팅사이트 최고의 검증사이트인 다음드에서 인정한 안전공원을 만나실 수 있는 챤스가 여러분에게 주어집니다 지금 확인하실 수 있습니다 다음드 강력 추천 안전공원들입니다 메이저놀이터들입니다

    ReplyDelete
  33. It’s my fortune to go to at this blog and realize out my required stuff that is also in the quality.
    GAMING EXPERIENCE

    ReplyDelete
  34. Hey nice post man! Thanks for incredible info.
    ruffhero

    ReplyDelete
  35. Bermain taruhan agen blackjack untuk bisa memenangkan permainan ini, Anda termasuk diharuskan untuk lebih mengenal permainan ini sehingga Anda bisa mengaplikasikan aplikasi game yang disediakan oleh agen judi online. Seiring dengan menyadari permainan, Anda dapat muda untuk menang bersama dengan pesat bermain judi Sbobet Casino online ini dengan benar-benar ringan.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Watch ufc 242 online khabib vs poirier live stream online reddit mma stream tickets, weigh-ins, fight card, timings, betting ods many more.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Untuk kalian yang ingin sekali mempunyai penghasilan tambahan maka, disini tempatnya yang tepat untuk kalian bermain dan memasang taruhan kalian, karena disini sudah terbukti sangat aman untuk kalian mendapatkan keuntungan-keuntungan nya. kalian bisa klik link tersebut:betting bola teraman

    ReplyDelete
  38. ToyotaQQ adalah salah satu situs Poker Online Indonesia yang mempunyai 8jenis permainan, diantaranya:
    AduQiu, BandarQiu, Poker, Bandar Poker, Bandar66, Sakong, Capsa Susun dan Domino99

    ReplyDelete
  39. ToyotaQQ adalah salah satu situs Poker Online Indonesia yang mempunyai 8jenis permainan, diantaranya:
    AduQiu, BandarQiu, Poker, Bandar Poker, Bandar66, Sakong, Capsa Susun dan Domino99

    ReplyDelete
  40. Jika kalian bettors baru yang baru ingin coba bermain judi dengan cara online dan bersahaja kebingungan dalam memaksa kedudukan judi online yang tepat. Sebaik nya mesti kritis dalam memestikan posisi judi yang tepat.


    judi poker online
    http://nikerevolution.us/bakatpoker-situs-judi-poker-poker88/

    ReplyDelete
  41. ToyotaQQ adalah salah satu situs Poker Online Indonesia yang mempunyai 8jenis permainan, diantaranya:
    AduQiu, BandarQiu, Poker, Bandar Poker, Bandar66, Sakong, Capsa Susun dan Domino99

    ReplyDelete
  42. Roupas no atacado para revender direto da fabrica com melhor preco do Brasil, fabricamos roupas em atacado com melhor preco do mercado, se voce quer compras em atacado de roupas voce está no lugar certo. atacadao da roupa

    ReplyDelete
  43. تعتبر اسعار نقل العفش هى الاهم بالنسبة لجميع العملاء التى تتعرض لنقل الاثاث بشكل متكرر نظرا لارتفاع تكاليف نقل العفش فى مصر ارخص شركة نقل عفش

    ReplyDelete
  44. The blog is composed in basic English with no yearning towards writing.
    bandarqq

    ReplyDelete
  45. VMware Workstation Pro 15 license key is the industry standard for running multiple operating systems as virtual machines (VMs) on a single Linux or Windows PC. IT professionals, developers and businesses who build, test or demo software for any device, platform or cloud rely on Workstation Pro. Workstation Pro Delivers a Data Center in Your Laptop. Run Multiple OSs on a Single PC. download vmware workstation 12 pro

    ReplyDelete
  46. MyDriverParis are Paris based premier chauffeur company providing professional executive driver services and affordable luxury chauffeur car hire in Paris and France. chauffeur service paris

    ReplyDelete
  47. Lady Era (Sildenafil) is scientifically formulated to provide intense sexual satisfaction for women seeking ultimate pleasure. lady era represents a serious approach to the problem of female sexual arousal disorder (FSAD) and sildenafil wor women sexual dysfunction (FSD), formulated scientifically to provide satisfaction in terms of sexual needs and lasting pleasure.

    ReplyDelete
  48. The website provide hot product with best price . Visit my site if you want to buy product: http://bestcouponaz.com/

    ReplyDelete
  49. Somos TUS CAMISETAS NBA, una tienda líder en la venta de camisetas de baloncesto. Nuestras camisetas réplicas de la NBA son una de las mejores del mercado, y no lo decimos nosotros, tuscamisetasNBA.com
    lo dicen miles de clientes a través de los años, visítanos para tener el gusto de atenderte.

    ReplyDelete
  50. Best buy Thai Buddhist Amulets, for Wealth, Health Luck Gambling money business , Love sex , and Happiness. Thailand amulet, Buddhist Amulet Magic Charms, Tiger Talismans.

    ReplyDelete
  51. Latiesha (Evangelist Royal Free) Brown is a passionate life and Self Development Coach empowering viewers all over the world to break free from UNHEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS - Latiesha Brown faith UNHOLY SPIRITUALITY - CHURCH RED FLAGS - VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN and everything in between.

    On this channel, I help you reflect, learn and breakthrough toxic relationships. If you're ready to create a new path for yourself, Latiesha Brown hit that subscribe button.

    ReplyDelete
  52. InDesign's comprehensive course training teaches you how to master the features of this page layout software: create a template, add pages, blocks, text variables, format text using style sheets, and heal. graphics. Indesign Workshop

    ReplyDelete