On the face of it, the character who features most prominently in this psychological drama is a cold, laconic and emotionless individual who appears to have undergone a charisma bypass. What makes him so interesting, however, is his voiceover narration that runs through the entire film and provides a full and fascinating insight into his thoughts, attitudes and aspirations. Because his motivations, reasoning and opinions of the people around him are all made so transparent, it becomes impossible not to be gripped by his story and intrigued by how it will play out.
Jack Manfred (Clive Owen) who lives in London, is an unpublished novelist who's suffering from writer's block and has bills to pay. Fortunately, his live-in girlfriend Marion (Gina McKee) is very understanding as she's a romantic who's deeply in love with him and relishes the idea of living with a writer. Jack was brought up in South Africa and an opportunity to get over his immediate difficulties arises when his father, who still lives there, sets him up with a job at a casino. During his interview for the job, Jack displays his considerable speed and dexterity in dealing cards and stacking the chips at a roulette table and is informed about the strict rules of the establishment. These stipulate that croupiers must remain aloof at all times from both clients and fellow employees and must report any form of cheating that they see. Because he'd previously worked as a croupier in South Africa where he'd learned that the house always wins, Jack never gambles and is very confident about his ability to do the job
Jack conducts himself impeccably in his work and impresses the manager with his professionalism and apparent honesty. He also gets to indulge in his own addiction which is the enjoyment he derives from watching other people lose money. The late hours he works have a detrimental impact on his relationship with Marion and he breaks his first casino rule when he has a one night stand with Bella (Kate Hardie) who's also a croupier at the "Golden Lion". Another rule gets broken when he chooses not to report that he's seen fellow croupier Matt (Paul Reynolds) cheating the house and then takes to socialising with him.
Unexpectedly, the most significant turning point in his new job arrives in the form of Jani de Villiers (Alex Kingston) who's also South African. She's a sexy, sophisticated and seasoned gambler who befriends him and persuades him to participate in a planned robbery of the casino. With a £10,000 payment as an immediate inducement, Jack finds this offer impossible to resist and then has to deal with the numerous surprising consequences that follow.
Jack is a deeply cynical man who hates cheats, thinks he's smarter than everyone else and has a sneering attitude to gamblers. He habitually works out the odds on various issues before taking decisions and despises the sleaze that he's surrounded by in his place of employment (which Bella refers to as "the cesspit"). He loses his moral superiority when he gets tempted by Jani but also benefits from his experience by using his job and Matt as inspirations for a successful book and its main protagonist. Clive Owen is exceptionally good as Jack, especially as his character is so dead-pan for most of the time.
The seedy nature of casinos as places of legalised theft where money is routinely laundered and the proceeds of crime finance the gambling is very convincingly recreated here and provides a wonderful backdrop to Jack Manfred's unusual story.
Jack Manfred (Clive Owen) who lives in London, is an unpublished novelist who's suffering from writer's block and has bills to pay. Fortunately, his live-in girlfriend Marion (Gina McKee) is very understanding as she's a romantic who's deeply in love with him and relishes the idea of living with a writer. Jack was brought up in South Africa and an opportunity to get over his immediate difficulties arises when his father, who still lives there, sets him up with a job at a casino. During his interview for the job, Jack displays his considerable speed and dexterity in dealing cards and stacking the chips at a roulette table and is informed about the strict rules of the establishment. These stipulate that croupiers must remain aloof at all times from both clients and fellow employees and must report any form of cheating that they see. Because he'd previously worked as a croupier in South Africa where he'd learned that the house always wins, Jack never gambles and is very confident about his ability to do the job
Jack conducts himself impeccably in his work and impresses the manager with his professionalism and apparent honesty. He also gets to indulge in his own addiction which is the enjoyment he derives from watching other people lose money. The late hours he works have a detrimental impact on his relationship with Marion and he breaks his first casino rule when he has a one night stand with Bella (Kate Hardie) who's also a croupier at the "Golden Lion". Another rule gets broken when he chooses not to report that he's seen fellow croupier Matt (Paul Reynolds) cheating the house and then takes to socialising with him.
Unexpectedly, the most significant turning point in his new job arrives in the form of Jani de Villiers (Alex Kingston) who's also South African. She's a sexy, sophisticated and seasoned gambler who befriends him and persuades him to participate in a planned robbery of the casino. With a £10,000 payment as an immediate inducement, Jack finds this offer impossible to resist and then has to deal with the numerous surprising consequences that follow.
Jack is a deeply cynical man who hates cheats, thinks he's smarter than everyone else and has a sneering attitude to gamblers. He habitually works out the odds on various issues before taking decisions and despises the sleaze that he's surrounded by in his place of employment (which Bella refers to as "the cesspit"). He loses his moral superiority when he gets tempted by Jani but also benefits from his experience by using his job and Matt as inspirations for a successful book and its main protagonist. Clive Owen is exceptionally good as Jack, especially as his character is so dead-pan for most of the time.
The seedy nature of casinos as places of legalised theft where money is routinely laundered and the proceeds of crime finance the gambling is very convincingly recreated here and provides a wonderful backdrop to Jack Manfred's unusual story.