Movie · 2010 · Comedy, Crime, Drama · 1h 48m · R · English
Curator score: 1.0/10 (18.5K ratings)
Honor. Integrity. Principles. Everything is negotiable.
Overview
Based on a true story, a hot shot Washington DC lobbyist and his protégé go down hard as their schemes to peddle influence lead to corruption and murder.
Ratings
Curator score: 1.0/10
IMDb: 6.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 39%
Metacritic: 51
TMDB: 5.8/10
Director
George Hickenlooper
Production
Vortex Words + Pictures, Hannibal Pictures, Rollercoaster Entertainment, Trigger Street Productions
Cast
Kevin Spacey, Kelly Preston, Hannah Endicott-Douglas, Rachelle Lefevre, Barry Pepper, Spencer Garrett, Jon Lovitz, Eric Schweig, Yannick Bisson, Maury Chaykin, Daniel Kash, Anna Hardwick, Ruth Marshall, Paul Stephen, Graham Abbey, Jeffrey R. Smith, Graham Greene, John Hickenlooper, John Robinson, Jason Weinberg
Where to watch
Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A watchable but uneven political-corruption dramedy powered mainly by Kevin Spacey’s slippery lead performance. The story is inherently juicy, but the film’s tonal wobble and modest satirical bite keep it from fully cashing in on the scandal.
Best for
Viewers interested in Washington corruption scandals
Fans of performance-driven political dramas
People who don’t mind a lighter, slightly awkward satirical tone
Skip if
You want sharp, propulsive political satire
You prefer a more serious true-crime approach
You’re looking for a film with strong ensemble energy or a polished final act
Overview
Casino Jack has the kind of real-life scandal material that should practically hum with outrage, greed, and absurdity. Instead, it settles for a middling blend of comedy and crime drama that never quite finds the right temperature. The result is a film that is more interesting in concept than in execution, though the underlying story remains hard to ignore.
Worth noting
Kevin Spacey gives the movie its main charge, leaning into Jack Abramoff’s smarm and self-importance with practiced ease. Around him, the film sketches a world of lobbyists, favors, and political rot that feels both specific and depressingly familiar. But the satire is blunt, the pacing slackens, and the tonal shifts can make it feel like it’s chasing a sharper movie that never arrives.
Bottom line
Still, there’s enough here for viewers drawn to corruption stories and behind-the-scenes power games. It plays like a lesser cousin to the more incisive Washington and Wall Street takedowns of the 2010s: not essential, but intermittently entertaining, and anchored by a lead turn that keeps it from collapsing entirely.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Josh Lewis (2★) · 45 likes
Interesting real-life scandal given a pretty limp comedy treatment by Hickenlooper that kind of predicted Adam McKay's current mode. Was sad to learn that this didn't include an extended flashback to Kevin Spacey's corrupt Republican lobbyist fraudster Jack Abramoff producing his Joseph Zito South African Apartheid Rambo knockoff Red Scorpion starring Dolph Lundgren, though it does get briefly referenced shortly after the scene where Spacey tries out his Native American accent impression. Mostly of interest now I guess for being… more Interesting real-life scandal given a pretty limp comedy treatment by Hickenlooper that kind of predicted Adam McKay's current mode. Was sad to learn that this didn't include an extended flashback to Kevin Spacey's corrupt Republican lobbyist fraudster Jack Abramoff producing his Joseph Zito South African Apartheid Rambo knockoff Red Scorpion starring Dolph Lundgren, though it does get briefly referenced shortly after the scene where Spacey tries out his Native American accent impression. Mostly of interest now I guess for being… more
Andy Summers 🤠 (3★) · 18 likes
Kevin Spacey is a two-time Oscar winner for a reason. He's the consummate professional regardless of some of the iffy parts he's taken in the last couple of years. Casino Jack is another of those average films bolstered by a strong performance by South Orange NJ's favorite son, this time focusing on the real life story of America's super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff and the corruption scandal that shamed Washington.
Jack Abramoff (Spacey) is a lobbyist on Capitol Hill. His clients pay… more Kevin Spacey is a two-time Oscar winner for a reason. He's the consummate professional regardless of some of the iffy parts he's taken in the last couple of years. Casino Jack is another of those average films bolstered by a strong performance by South Orange NJ's favorite son, this time focusing on the real life story of America's super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff and the corruption scandal that shamed Washington.
Jack Abramoff (Spacey) is a lobbyist on Capitol Hill. His clients pay… more
Luke (1.5★) · 18 likes
A compelling story which wasn’t given an interesting take
alex (1★) · 12 likes
I may have missed Kevin Spacey's snazzy performance in Tel Aviv, but I didn’t miss Cansino Jack!
Caleb (1★) · 11 likes
kevin spacey loves tel aviv! it makes him want to dance!
2013 · Crime, Drama, Comedy · 3h · R · Curator 7.9/10 (5.7M ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, AMC+, Philo, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
For viewers who want excess, self-destruction, and a gleefully amoral antihero.