SummaryThis portrait of Washington super lobbyist Jack Abramoff—from his early years as a gung-ho member of the GOP political machine to his final reckoning as a disgraced, imprisoned pariah—confirms the adage that truth is indeed stranger than fiction. A tale of international intrigue with Indian casinos, Russian spies, Chinese sweatshops, and a mob-st... Read More
Directed By:Alex Gibney
Written By:Alex Gibney
Casino Jack and the United States of Money
Metascore
Generally Favorable
68
User score
Universal Acclaim
8.4
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Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
68
73% Positive
16 Reviews
16 Reviews
27% Mixed
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
91
Prolific documentarian Alex Gibney takes a labyrinthine, detail-laden story and crafts an attention-holding film, polemical without ranting.
83
Gibney has enough material for a dozen movies here, but his attempt at an overview, however unwieldy, paints one hell of a nauseating picture.
75
Abramoff may be in prison but the mindset that produced him -- and the pay-to-play government it needs to survive -- is triumphant.
70
As Gibney follows Abramoff through the decades, he traces a solid line from Reagan’s mantra of deregulation to the financial collapse of 2008, showing how three decades of procapitalist lobbying have pushed most Americans out into the cold.
67
Tonally, it all makes sense, but there’s such a thing as overmuchness. Gibney laudably launches a withering attack here on the pay-to-play relationship between lobbyists and lawmakers. But this viewer felt withered, too, by the end of his battering ram of a movie.
50
Gibney's documentary strains to make sense of the minutiae without losing the audience's attention over its formidable, two-hour length.
40
The big absence here is the man himself; Gibney couldn’t get the jailed Abramoff on camera, either due to unwillingness or a Justice Department intervention. Whatever the reason, it’s crippling.
User score
Universal Acclaim
8.4
100% Positive
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
0% Mixed
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
Aug 11, 2010
10
Truth is indeed stranger than fiction. This movie is a tall tale so unbelievable it takes seeing the players tell you their role in living color to make it undeniably true. And that's what Gibney et. al. deliver with this film. The story is awesome, in the true sense of the word. Though it's so jaw-dropping it leaves the viewer feeling worn out, and is hardly uplifting, it's time well spent. If you care about the world, this will help you understand and realize the importance of political roadblocks to a better future, and might leave you more clear on what you can do, so you don't spin your wheels doing something that this movie teaches/suggests will likely be ineffective, but rather, perhaps give you the focus and courage to act in an effective way. If you don't care about making the world a better place, don't bother watching this. Find some escapist entertainment.
Production Company:
- Jigsaw Productions
- Magnolia Pictures
- Participant
Release Date:May 7, 2010
Duration:1 h 58 m
Rating:R
Tagline:Come See Where Your Democracy Went
Awards
Sundance Film Festival
• 1 Nomination
Cinema for Peace Awards
• 1 Nomination
