|
| . |
|
Owning Mahowny 2003 |
Review by Jonathan Cornwell |
Directed by Richard Kwietniowski
R, 107 min. (language, some sexuality) |
 |
Starring: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Minnie Driver, Maury Chaykin, John Hurt
Producers: Alessandro Camon, Andras Hamori, Seaton McLean
Screenplay: Maurice Chauvet
Cinematography: Oliver Curtis
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Released: 5.02.03 (Limited) |
Rating:
 (out of ) |
Owning Mahowny is one of the best films I've seen about the meticulous spiral into despair that an addiction like gambling can provide.
The film is unflinching and painstaking in its desire to portray a man who knows his addiction and that he will eventually
hit rock bottom but gives into his addiction because he understands that he simply can't stop. The film is based on the true
account of a Toronto bank manager that fraudulently used bank money to repay his increasing debt, which eventually totaled
more than $10 million at the time he was finally caught in the early 1980s. For a man who earned roughly $22,000 a year,
winning and losing millions of dollars a night became the norm at the height of his addiction. Director Richard Kwietniowski
(Love and Death on Long Island) wisely keeps the story focused on the man's actions rather than a forced story arc
to propel the movie forward. And when we see the pathetic desperation and loss that comes with losing large amounts of
money to casinos, it becomes to difficult to watch the train wreck that ensues.
Since this is an intense character study, finding the right actor to portray the tunnel vision that addiction fuels is paramount.
Kwietniowski chose a brilliant, instrospective character actor, Philip Seymour Hoffman, to provide the excruciating lengths that
one will go to to feed their habit. Hoffman's performance is a revelation and his best to date, although his stock in Hollywood
has been rising for some time now. He finds the perfect angle to play Dan Mahowny, a man who rates the thrill of gambling
a "100" compared to a "20" for the most exciting moment in his life outside of gambling. Gambling isn't a hobby or a
passing fancy - it becomes a life and death struggle to feed an insatiable hunger for more. Like any addiction, whether it
be drugs, sex, or alcohol, gambling is the life blood for Mahowny's survival. And when his addiction is threatened by his
local Toronto bookie, Frank Perlin (Maury Chaykin), because of a debt reaching $10,000, Mahowny manipulates accounts and
loans at his bank without hesitation. What begins as a means to pay off moderate debts becomes a full-fledged debacle
both for himself and a bank which obviously didn't monitor its high risk accounts very well.
Soon Mahowny is flying to Las Vegas and Atlantic City to appease his fierce addiction; he opens an illegal account with
a casino boss, Victor Foss (John Hurt), who sees him as a "purist," or someone that gambles for gambling's sake. Foss' greed leads
to a fraudulent system where Mahowny is given high roller status in the casino. But when hookers, plush rooms, and
various amenities are offered to him, he is simply not interested. "Maybe some ribs, no sauce, and a Coke?" replies Mahowny to
Foss, who is all-to-eager to meet the meager request. Foss is a character we can hate because, much like a drug dealer,
he sees an addiction and seizes upon it like a spider patiently awaiting its prey. Meanwhile, Mahowny's fiancé, the long
suffering Belinda (Minnie Driver), bends over backwards to try to understand and help him overcome an addiction that has
no quick fix. He takes her to Vegas for a getaway weekend, but he finds himself in the casino locked into a zone where he
barely acknowledges her when she comes to take him away.
Owning Mahowny has the patience to portray the slow process of a gambler's eventual demise. Mahowny doesn't
see anything or anyone (except for occasional lapses into sanity) except his addiction. So concentrated is his mind on his
gambling that he seems like a man stranded on an island by himself, withering in the searing heat that his building losses
inflict on him. He tells a friend, "whatever I say don't let me use this money tonight," in reference to a pile of chips he
has set aside to make sure he doesn't lose everything, yet there he is hours later demanding the friend to "give it up."
Of course, we've seen similar episodes on addiciton, but the process by which the film emphasizes the step-by-step descent
into hapless abandon is the crux for its solid character study.
Hoffman is nearly perfect as our guide into the world of the gambling addict, lost in a world of winning and losing, and then
returning to his habit time and again for more narcissistic pleasure. His performance is worthy of Oscar recognition, but the
nature of the film's limited release will make that difficult. Hurt is also palpable as the casino boss that manipulates
the gambler to satisfy his own need to rape others of their dignity. Owning Mahowny is a riveting film, one that deserves
praise for having the confidence to portray its characters in all their doomed glory.
© 2003 Jonathan Cornwell
|
|
 |
 | Masterpiece - Film perfection |
 | Excellent - A Must See |
| Good - Highly Recommended |
| Fair - Worth seeing |
| Average - Viewable, but not recommended |
| Below average - View at own risk |
| Poor - Avoid at all costs |
| Very poor - An embarassment to the film industry |
| Zero | Awful - One of the worst films ever made |
© 2000 - present ReelCriticReviews
All movie pictures are registered trademarks and/or copyrights of their respective holders
Their use on this site is for informational purposes only and does not imply ownership
|
