Croupier (1999)
Mike Hodges’ Croupier takes us behind the scenes of the casino and into the world of professional gambling.
Croupier (1999)
Like the recent film Rounders, we are guided through this world by the narration of a young man caught up in circumstances greater than himself. Hodges’ film is smarter and sexier, however, and tells the story not of the gambler, but the life of the croupier - the dealer and casino worker. Croupier abandons the typical dressings of underground noir films, and instead opts for wry humor and perceptive insight. In Croupier, Jack (Clive Owen) is the South African son of a compulsive gambler now living in London and attempting to make a career as a novelist. He works from his flat which he shares with girlfriend Marion (Gina McKee) who is the ordinary and mundane figure in Jack’s life.
I must say that she is one of the most beautiful and coiffed “ordinary” people I have ever seen, making her role as the ordinary girl who must be pushed away in favor of the exotic a tad less convincing. The plot is set in motion when Jack’s publisher rejects his master manuscript, and instead suggests that he write a formulaic soccer novel. Shortly thereafter a dejected Jack receives a phone call from his father in South Africa who announces that he has arranged for Jack to take a job as a croupier in a London casino.
The story is then occupied with chronicling Jack’s descent into the casino world. His already fading feelings for Marion are further complicated as he becomes involved with another croupier, Bella (Kate Hardie), and a beautiful, mysterious South African woman named Jani. Jack, who narrates the film in the third person, scraps the soccer novel and begins to write an autobiography of sorts, “I, Croupier,” the main character of which is Jack’s alter ego, Jake.
As the film progresses, Jack become increasingly confused about his identity - is he Jack, the humble bohemian writer? Or is he Jake, the handsome and subversive croupier? While Hodges thoroughly explores this dual identity, the movie never takes the question too seriously, and it is this tension that keeps the story and characters fresh and interesting throughout the film. Because the plot does not center around intense group of card players typical to this genre, we are treated to a solid story and interesting characters who are not driven inevitably into the “big game” situation, but who nonetheless lead us to a surprising and entertaining ending.
While I often find narration of a film a tedious plot expedient, Jack’s dead-pan third person narrative provide us both with his witty inner monologue and perceptive observations of those around him. Clive Owens is charming as the stoic and sardonic Jack, although I wish that he had done a bit more to distinguish his character from every other post-modern noir anti-hero that can only conquer the world by distancing himself from it.
As an unfortunate consequence of this posturing, the few times that Jack does display a burst of emotion; it seems forced and over-dramatic, rather than betraying a new dimension of the Jack/Jake character. Alex Kingston’s South African accent is not well coached, and this is distracting, - she delivers the obligatory “eh” sound (as in, “South ‘Eh’-frica”), but then returns to a proper Queen’s English clip. Despite this irritation, her role is a success, intriguing and beguiling both Jack and the audience.
Given that we view the story from the standpoint of the croupier, Hodges’ views the casino games more with amusement than with suspense. Hodges draws the viewer slyly into the story, much in the way that Jack is drawn into the life of his fictional Jake. We are at first led to believe that the dealer can’t lose. After all, our reliable hero announces to us, “In life we all make a choice: either you’re a gambler or a croupier.” So, if it turns out that the joke is on Jack, the joke must also be on us, and the distinction between gambler and croupier, between winner and loser becomes appropriately muddled.
Croupier takes us for a ride in a most subtle manner, reminding us that suspense and noir films need not be tied to fancy action sequences and complicated plot devices. It is unfortunate that Croupier did not receive a wider North American release, so for those readers who will miss the limited New York and Los Angeles engagement, I urge you to look for this film when it finds a happy home in your nearest video store.
