Croupier is a neo-noir British film about a struggling writer, Jack (Clive Owen), who takes a job as a croupier in a rather shady casino to support himself while he tries to write a novel. It's got all the pieces to be a clever, cool crime thriller, but somehow it never really comes together. Despite some witty lines, a gritty noir feeling, and a terrific performance from Owen, it's fairly dull and throws in a lot of extraneous plot twists that end up not really meaning anything.
I had the feeling this would make a fantastic book -- somehow it seemed more readable than watchable. With the exception, of course, of Jack, who is a compelling character, watching the lives of the people around him with a smug detachment. Clive Owen is dashingly handsome in a roguish, "if only someone could tame him" way, with just the right amount of wear and tear on his elegant face. In fact, I spent much of the movie imagining him in my own personal movie, which didn't have all those other annoying women around.
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