| Casino Jack | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | George Hickenlooper |
| Produced by | George Vitetzakis |
| Written by | Norman Snider |
| Starring | Kevin Spacey Barry Pepper Rachelle Lefevre Kelly Preston Jon Lovitz Maury Chaykin |
| Music by | Jonathan Goldsmith |
| Cinematography | Adam Swica |
| Editing by | William Steinkamp |
| Studio | Hannibal Pictures Rollercoaster Entertainment |
| Distributed by | Art Takes Over Films (ATO) |
| Release date(s) | September 16, 2010 (TIFF) December 17, 2010 (United States) |
| Running time | 108 minutes |
| Country | Canada[1] |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $12.5 million |
| Box office | $1,083,683 |
Casino Jack is a 2010 biographical political satire film starring Kevin Spacey and directed by George Hickenlooper. The film focuses on the career of Washington, D.C. lobbyist and businessman Jack Abramoff, who was involved in a massive corruption scandal that led to the conviction of himself, two White House officials, Rep. Bob Ney, and nine other lobbyists and congressional staffers. Abramoff was convicted of fraud, conspiracy and tax evasion in 2006,[2] and of trading expensive gifts, meals and sports trips in exchange for political favors.[3][4] Abramoff served three and a half years of a six-year sentence in federal prison, and was assigned to a halfway house. He was released on December 3, 2010.
In 2010, Spacey was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for best actor for his depiction of Abramoff in the film, eventually losing to Paul Giamatti for his role in Barney's Version.[5]
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Filming took place in June 2009 in various locations across Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, including McMaster University and downtown Hamilton. The film was scheduled for release in December 2010 and premiered at the Toronto Film Festival.
This was Hickenlooper's final film. He died on October 29, 2010, seven weeks before its scheduled December 17, 2010, national opening.[6]
Casino Jack has received mixed reviews from critics. It has been given a 36% "rotten" rating according to Rotten Tomatoes with the consensus: "Kevin Spacey turns in one of his stronger performances, but Casino Jack is a disappointingly uneven fictionalized account of a fascinating true story." Roger Ebert awarded Casino Jack three out of four stars, stating that "Casino Jack is so forthright, it is stunning."[7]
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