You might know shit about Jack Abramoff, the greedy Washington lobbyist who is now serving out his 4 year prison terms for corruption and fraud. But director Georges Hickenlooper (who sadly died last october at age 47) will make sure you get a history lesson out of his film. Wikipedia defines “lobbyist” as a person who tries to influence legislation on behalf of a special interest or a member of a lobby. In “Casino Jack”, Abramoff (Kevin Spacey in a dynamite performance), and like most lobbyists, was paid by big organizations to convince members of Senate to vote for or against certain things in the senate. But the film focuses more on the huge corruption scandal that led him and 10 other lobbyists to be convincted. The story, though based on real events, never feels like one (the fact that Abramoff keeps quoting movies was absolutely hilarious). It’s an interesting and somewhat humourous tale of how far greed can take you in America. Hickenlooper uses humour in telling his story, but truth be told, this is more tragic than funny. I watched this movie not knowing what to expect from it, but I came out pleasantly surprised. It is my duty to recommend it, in hope that you find it as refreshing and smart as I did.
Rating: 3/4
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