Casino Jack (Blu-ray) (2010)

"Kevin Spacey contributes a wonderfully flamboyant performance as Abramoff.  J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader
"...a hilariously entertaining feature film...  Lou Lumenick, dvd York Post
"Spacey holds center. He's a bonfire.  Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
"Casino Jack is so forthright, it is stunning.  Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Editor's Note Self-professed "super-lobbyist" and double-dealing high roller Jack Abramoff (Academy Award-winner Kevin Spacey) watches in vain as his highly lucrative empire starts to crumble thanks to one fateful mistake in this high-energy comedy inspired by real events from director George Hickenlooper (THE MAN FROM ELYSIAN FIELDS, FACTORY GIRL). When Jack and resourceful businessman Michael Scanlon (Barry Pepper) team up to exert their influence over some the biggest players in Washington, D.C., their bid to strike it rich pays off, big time. But somewhere between the high-profile deals, high-roller hotel suites, and million-dollar yachts, the profit-loving pair makes the mistake of recruiting a motor-mouthed mob flunky (Jon Lovitz) to earn some extra income under the table. At first the cash is rolling in, but when word gets out that Jack and Michael have ties to the Mob, the resulting scandal turns their life of luxury into a living hell.

	Jon Lovitz
	Kelly Preston
	Kevin Spacey
	Rachelle Lefevre
	Barry Pepper
	Joe Pingue - Co-Star
	Cindy Dolenc - Co-Star
	Jason Weinberg - Co-Star
	Matt Gordon - Co-Star
	Jeffrey R. Smith - Co-Star
	Ruth Marshall - Co-Star
	Conrad Pla - Co-Star
	Andrea Davis - Co-Star
	Paolo Mancini - Co-Star
	Hannah Endicott-Douglas - Co-Star
	Adam Waxman - Co-Star
	Sima Fisher - Co-Star
	Xenia Siamas - Co-Star
	Graham Abbey - Co-Star
	Kristin Hinton - Co-Star
	Reid Morgan - Co-Star
	John David Whalen - Co-Star
	Anna Hardwick - Co-Star
	Cynthia Amsden - Co-Star
	Balford Gordon - Co-Star
	Paul Stephen - Co-Star
	Stephen Chambers - Co-Star
	Nancy Beatty - Co-Star
	Judah Katz - Co-Star
	Brian Paul - Co-Star
	Graham Greene - Co-Star
	Spencer Garrett - Co-Star
	Jeff Pustil - Co-Star
	Jonathan Goldsmith - Composer
	Norman Snider - Screenwriter
	John Thomson - Sound
	Adam Swica - Director of Photography
	Andrew Tay - Sound Re-Recording
	Keith Elliott - Sound Re-Recording
	Damir Andrei - Co-Star
	Yannick Bisson - Co-Star
	Christian Campbell - Co-Star
	Maury Chaykin - Co-Star
	Brent Fraser - Co-Star
	Daniel Kash - Co-Star
	George Hickenlooper - Director

ReelViews 8 of 10
This is Hickenlooper's final feature (he died about two months before its theatrical release) and one of his best. Whether the viewer knows Abramoff's story or not, its depiction is strong enough to hold one's interest. Casino Jack also represents another tile in the ever-growing cinematic mosaic depicting how rotten the foundations of U.S. government have become. It also makes a strong companion piece to Gibney's documentary, which offers a documentary portrait of the same events. Above all, however, Kevin Spacey is the reason to see Casino Jack. This movie will stand alongside The Usual Suspects and American Beauty as examples of what the actor is capable of accomplishing when he is properly motivated. - James Berardinelli