Croupier

Veteran director Mike Hodges, who made a splash with Get Carter in 1971 but then stumbled badly in Hollywood, recovered a good deal of his lost luster with the stylish, unexpectedly successful 1998 Croupier, which turned its star--rugged, charismatic Clive Owen (Beyond Borders)--into a hot commodity. A stylish but chilly tale of a would-be writer who, at the suggestion of his conman father, takes a job as a dealer at a London casino and through a series of odd circumstances (mostly involving women) becomes involved in an attempted robbery at the place, Croupier could have been an over-the-top heist flick along the lines of Ocean's Eleven had it been a mainstream Hollywood production, but this intimate British film deals in mood and ambiguity instead. Much of the elliptical story is narrated in the third person by protagonist Jack Manfred (Owen) as if he were talking about somebody else--a device that keeps him opaque and detached, an emotionally distant observer rather than an active participant (an effect accentuated by Owens' characteristic reticence and inexpressiveness). In fact, this is less a crime caper than an existential character study, and even though the plot twists and a failure to clarify Manfred's motives sometimes obscure what the picture wants to say about human nature, the cool, crisp visual elegance goes far in compensating for any narrative lapses. Released (for a second time now, the first was an import) in an extra-less DVD, this is recommended. (F. Swietek)[DVD/Blu-ray Review—Oct. 20, 2015—Hen's Tooth, 95 min., not rated, DVD: $19.95, Blu-ray: $24.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and debut on Blu-ray, 1997's Croupier features a fine transfer and DTS-HD mono 2.0 audio, but no extras. Bottom line: this indie favorite with a star-making turn by Clive Owen sparkles on Blu-ray.]