I recently caught Croupier, a 1998 film staring Clive Owen, Gina McKee, Alex Kingston (who also played Dr. Elizabeth Corday on ER), Kate Hardie and Paul Reynolds. I stumbled across this film after watching Mr. Owen’s latest flick, Shoot ‘Em Up, which left a lot to be desired. The actor who plays a dark but 2-dimensional character in Shoot ‘Em Up is a fully-sketched, 3-dimensional character in Croupier.

The film focuses on Jack, a struggling writer who picks up a night job as a croupier in a local casino. A croupier is a dealer, not a term I was familiar, nor was Jack’s girlfriend Marion. She wanted to live with a writer not what Jack’s become. Pieces of Jack’s history pop up over the course of the movie as he interacts with his girlfriend, coworkers, “punters” (the gamblers in the casino), and his father in South Africa. Is Jack reinventing himself, coming home, or something entirely different?

The movie feels like a piece of film noir, from its lighting and dark tone, as well as its use of voiceover by the main character Jack. One film that came to mind was The Maltese Falcon. However, Jack’s inner monologue strangely reminded me of the same technique in A Clockwork Orange. This is a film definitely worth watching. I’ve seen it twice and would definitely consider buying it for repeat viewings.