Croupier is a dark British movie which is sinister and shadowy with a definite cinematographic style. Set in the 1970s, Croupier focuses on a struggling writer called Jack ( played by Clive Owen ) who works at a Casino, as a croupier. This places him between the bosses and the bettors, and it’s the movie that launched Clive Owen’s career.
Owen depicts a cold, controlled man who does not gamble. Moreover, He does not gamble at casino games of chance, but in his personal life, he places high-risk bets. By the end of the movie, he is juggling relationships with three women and scheming to defraud the casino.
About Croupier
Jack portrays a man damaged by his father a gambler and a womanizer who drank profusely and ran roughshod over his son’s early years. His father, who is in South Africa lines him up the job at a London casino where he becomes a skilled card manipulator. Clearly, he was taught by his father the key figure in his life.
Croupier knows its way around casinos, and the audience observes how the dealers with their odd hours and surreal lives tend to prefer dating one another than what they call outsiders. Jack watches as gamblers line up trying their luck and what’s interesting is how the movie captures the dealer’s complete indifference to the clients. It’s the attitude of win or lose; it’s only as long as their shift.
Wrapping it Up
Croupier is a movie with a twist and its more than one bargains for. It never hints at the details which lead to an unexpected ending. The plot, however, is not the real message. It’s more about an individual who can control and figure the odds of his life out and turn it into a novel, like any gambler trying to beat the odds.