CASINO JACK
4 out of 5 stars

ohhhh, jack abramoff. there’s a name EVERYONE in d.c./politics has heard of since the bastard was connected to everyone, including george w. but shame on you, jack... taking advantage of ‘dem poor indians. here’s a story of what happens when you buy things you can’t afford + you think you’re smarter than everyone. (when you’re not) tsk, tsk... :P

the movie begins with jack (a spicy kevin spacey) and his associate michael scanlon (barry pepper) getting arrested by the FBI. they’re arrested for FRAUD (no surprise there), and jack is hauled off to jail. he begins telling his tale to two others arrested for their deeds, and he starts from the very beginning... jack and michael (two fast-talking lobbyists) are hired by a super lobbying firm in d.c. (K street in particular!), and they begin working with the indian casinos in michigan and the midwest. they know that the indian casinos are cash cows, so they propose to one of the chiefs, that they will stop a rival casino from opening near his, if they pay them their monthly retainer of a million/month. if their firm is hired, they’ll do whatever it takes to convince senators and govt legislature to stop the rival casino from getting their permits and whatnot, and of course, the indian casinos give in and pay this exorbitant fee to jack and his associates. do they actually do what they say though? NO, OF COURSE NOT. because that would be legal and silly, of course. :P there’s also a secondary story, where jack and michael get involved with another casino company called sunsails cruises, which is owned and operated by a mob-like greek guy named gus boulis. they bring in adam kidan (LOL, jon lovitz), a mattress salesman/owner, and he just brings a whole another load of trouble in the form of hiring italian mobsters to off poor gus.

it’s a giant clusterfuck of a mess, but it’s fun. i wouldn’t say this was dramatic at all... i think i spent more time laughing than watching. kevin spacey is obviously a great actor, and he portrays jack abramoff as the prick he is but there’s also a soft side to him as well. (you learn that jack’s intentions are well-intended i.e. the jewish school, community center, charities, foundations, kosher restaurants) of course, he makes his $ illegally, but he’s not a completely rotten human being. not sure about michael, who seems to just care about cars, ladies, and houses. typical republican, right? :P (j/k...) jon lovitz really nails it as creepy adam kidan, and the whole movie is actually quite good. maybe i just liked it b/c i’m from DC, but maybe you’ll like it too? ;)