This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Jan. 6, 2011 - The late George Hickenlooper, who grew up in St. Louis and died in October, blessed himself with a terrific cast for what turned out to be his last feature film, the story of "Casino Jack" Abramoff. Kevin Spacey gives a strong performance as the notorious Washington lobbyist who was sent to prison for bribery and theft, taking with him a handful of congressmen and gangsters (or is it congressmen-gangsters?). And Barry Pepper is positively reptilian as Abramoff's slimy sidekick Michael Scanlon.
Also, it's hard to argue with the skillful way Hickenlooper moves back and forth, both in time and between news footage and drama, to tell the long story of this leech on the body politic.
Why, then, halfway through the hour and 48 minute movie, did I find myself wishing "Casino Jack" would just end? I didn't want to spend any more time in the company of this loudmouthed, swindling hypocrite who corrupted almost everyone he came in contact with and tried to hide his sins beneath a yarmulke.
Part of the problem with "Casino Jack" comes from the subject himself. Abramoff, who stole millions from various Indian tribes in schemes involving the licensing of casinos, and bludgeoned countless politicians with buckets full of cash into doing his will, personifies an era of reckless greed that shows no signs of abating, despite the international financial collapse it provoked. Abramoff was and presumably still is a creep, and it's hard to make a palatable movie about a creep without either glamorizing him or using him for black comedy.
At times, Hickenlooper tries the latter route, and he has some success early on, with scenes of Abramoff and Scanlon crazily whooping it up as a nearby television set blasts out the news of their latest victory over government by, for and of the people. But we get too many of those scenes, and we grow sick of these two scurrilous crooks having fun at the nation's expense.
"Casino Jack" is often painful to watch. So is "Inside Job," the superb documentary about the economic meltdown. But "Inside Job" manages to explain what happened in meaningful terms and leaves us with specific objects for our rage. "Casino Jack" is much less focused, and we don't get much revelation in return for our pain. If you've been paying attention to the news, you don't really learn anything new.
The director also made one serious mistake in casting. The comic actor Jon Lovitz plays a flaky business associate of Abramoff, and his performance is so flamboyant it's close to high camp. Lovitz seems to think he's in a Saturday Night Live skit about these goofy lobbyists, and his shrieking shtick yanks the movie too far in the direction of farce. At times, Lovitz and Spacey seem to be acting in different movies.
Perhaps Hickenlooper should have treated the whole story as a black comedy, but instead the movie bounces back and forth in tone between farce and drama like a bowling ball careening down a long corridor. Despite the skills of the director and most of the actors, "Casino Jack" seem to lack a point of view or a consistent theme. At the end, after the prison door has slammed shut and the final credits have rolled across the screen, Jack Abramoff remains a loudmouthed creep, and not a particularly interesting one.
Opens Friday Jan. 7
Harper Barnes,; the author of Never Been A Time: The 1917 Race Riot That Sparked The Civil Rights Movement, is a special contributor to the Beacon.