Casino Jack
Golden Globe nominee Kevin Spacey has a ball and then some playing the devil inside Jack Abramoff, the corrupt GOP lobbyist who ran wild during the W. years. Director George Hickenlooper (who died at 47 in October) leans heavily on the comedy buttons in Norman Snider's script. Too heavily. But Hickenlooper's final film aptly reflects the gung-ho spirit that infused his documentaries (Hearts of Darkness) and features (Factory Girl). Abramoff did time for, among other things, fraud involving casinos owned by American Indians. The film traces his roots back as a Jewish kid in Beverly Hills, through his dealings with partner Michael Scanlon (Barry Pepper), middleman Adam Kidan (Jon Lovitz, fab) and mobster Big Tony (the late Maury Chaykin). Add Jack's wife, Pam (Kelly Preston), and the movie nearly flies off its already shaky handle. Spacey holds center. He's a bonfire.