It's just a damn shame.
A damn shame that George Hickenlooper died last October, just before the opening of "Casino Jack," the movie that would have lifted him into the upper ranks of American directors and provided the opportunity for him to climb higher.
But ironically, the St. Louis-born-and-reared Hickenlooper was afflicted with the same hubris as Jack Abramoff, the teen-age ego that brags, "I'm indestructible. Bullets bounce off me."
But they don't.
Hickenlooper's story of the larger-than-life lobbyist who took millions of dollars from Indians who wanted casino licenses and gave millions to Congressmen and Senators whose votes were for sale is an excellent film, strong in its indictment of government corruption but often funny in black-humor mode. Kevin Spacey delivers an Oscar-worthy performance in the title role. Norman Snider's screenplay is fast-moving and powerful.
Since Abramoff and almost a dozen other Washington insiders were convicted of mail fraud and conspiracy, and Abramoff served time, there are no signs of balance, and probably no need to offer a defense. He was released about a year ago. Like so many other rogues, Abramoff hid his criminal activities behind his religion, posing as a devout Jew while breaking every commandment and filling his pockets with illegal money.
Spacey, arrogant and unctuous in turn, shows his full range in a tour de force performance, and it's a rich characterization in every respect. Barry Pepper is a fine match as his buddy, Michael Scanlon, and there's excellent work from Jon Lovitz and Maury Chaykin, the latter in a few remarkable scenes as Big Tony. There's also good acting from those who portray such Washington personalities as Karl Rove, Grover Norquist, Tom DeLay, John McCain and Ralph Reed, a veritable rogues' gallery of the Radical Right.
A consummate con-man, Abramoff discovered how easy it was to convince American Indian tribal leaders to pay huge sums of money for him deliver Congressional approval for casino licenses that enriched many tribes–and many tribal leaders. He bought our duly elected representatives with golfing trips to Scotland, tickets for sporting events, lavish meals and other morsels that are meaningless in the long run, but offer solid evidence of the weakness and greed among so many of the people whom we elect to be our government.
Hickenlooper won an Emmy for his direction of "Hearts of Darkness," a documentary about the making of "Apocalypse Now," was responsible for some excellent films, including "Picture This," about director Peter Bogdanovich; "Dogtown," "Factory Girl," "Mayor of the Sunset Strip" and "The Big Brass Ring."
Casino Jack opens today at the Plaza Frontenac
—Joe