Cheap Owning Mahowny (Video) (Philip Seymour Hoffman, Minnie Driver, John Hurt) (Richard Kwietniowski) Price

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Customer Reviews of Owning Mahowny

Philip Seymour Hoffman gives yet another mesmerizing performance as Dan Mahowny, a gambling addict that is focused only on the hand he is playing. He is not concerned with the free food, free room, or other lush amenities the casino provides him with as he gambles away all his money.

John Hurt is also very impressive as the casino manager who tracks Mahowny's every move and tries to find out as much as he can about this man who is gambling such high stakes.

The story moves at a pretty good place, without taking too much time to build up to the plot.

This is highly recommended for anybody that prefers character-driven movies to the typical Hollywood blockbusters with explosions and car chases every five minutes. Fans of "2 Fast 2 Furious" may be bored to tears.

Gambling habit takes hold of a nice guy. Big problem!
I think that Philip Seymour Hoffman is one of the finest and most versatile actors around. And this 2003 film based on a true story certainly proves it. He's cast as Dan Mahowny, an unassuming bank employee in Toronto. Dan has a gambling problem - a big one. And when he is pressed to cover his losses of about $10,000 at the track, he uses his job as assistant manager at the bank to embezzle the money. Then, once he realizes how easy this is, he siphons off some more cash and heads down to Atlantic City. His habit escalates as does his crimes and soon he's carrying bankrolls of $500,000 or more and losing it all in frenzied weekends. His girlfriend, played by Minnie Driver is confused and tries to help him. The casino owner, played by John Hurt, gives him lots of perks and tries to separate him from more and more cash. Dan Mahowny's life becomes increasingly complicated and within a few months he has stolen $10.2 million from his bank.

The story is paced so that it all seems possible. We see the gambler at his trade and way the habit takes hold of him. He plays all the casino games and, even when he might be ahead for a while, will always throw his winnings back on the tables. I found myself feeling sorry for the man and loving him at the same time. His performance comes across as so real and immediate that I just wanted to put my hands on his shoulders and shake him into reality. The sense of place is perfect too. The world of the casinos compared with the world of the quiet bank is an excellent contrast. Through it all he remains an unassuming nice guy and it's easy to see why his girlfriend is willing to stay with him. I really loved this simple story and feel it is one of the most excellent films ever made about compulsive gambling. Highly recommended.

Fickle Lady Luck
Like William H. Macy, Philip Seymour Hoffman might not fit the usual preconception of cinematic Leading Man. Yet, in 2003, both have the lead in movies about gambling or the gambling industry. For Macy, it was THE COOLER; for Hoffman, it was OWNING MAHOWNY. In their respective films, the character portrayed by each loses his job because he's either embraced or shunned by Lady Luck.

In OWNING MAHOWNY, based on a true story, Hoffman is cast in the title role as the high ranking executive in charge of loans for a Toronto bank. Mahowny also has a gambling addiction, and is indebted to his bookie (Maury Chakin) for slightly over ten grand. To cover his marker, Mahowny creates a fictional loan account, and draws cash from it. Going a step further, he approves cash loans to an existing but unsuspecting customer with a large credit limit, and takes the money on weekend trips to Atlantic City, where he consistently loses at dice, cards, and roulette. By the time he's found out, Mahowny has embezzled over $10 million.

The creators of this film made no attempt whatsoever to render the Mahowny persona attractive to the audience, and it's a wonder he even has a fiancee, Lisa (Minnie Driver). Indeed, Mahowny is so focused on gambling that when the casino manager, Mr. Foss (John Hurt), sends to his suite a complimentary courtesan, who sheds her fur coat to reveal not inconsiderable charms, Mahowny only tells her "You've made a mistake." And he really means it; he only courts Lady Luck. Our hero is so indifferent to anything other than playing the odds that he isn't even somebody with whom you'd consider having a friendly beer. He's single-minded to the point of boorishness.

One can't help but make the comparison between Foss and Shelly Kaplow, the manager of the Shangri-La Casino in THE COOLER. Alec Baldwin received a Best Supporting Actor nomination for the latter role, and should have been, I think, the rightful winner of the award. Both Foss and Kaplow are control freaks. But, while Foss is almost coldly clinical in his manipulation of the high rollers that keep his house profitable, Kaplow is a tempestuous character capable of deep emotions, including a volcanic anger that can erupt into shocking violence. Compared to Kaplow, Foss is almost prissy. Baldwin had the meatier and more complex role, though Hurt's performance is excellent.

Films about the sickness of obsessive gambling are few and far between. I haven't seen one as effective as OWNING MAHOWNY since the 1974 movie THE GAMBLER starring James Caan. Though OWNING MAHOWNY is perhaps an art house film not likely to appeal to a wide audience, it gets its message across superbly. Now, how do I tell the wife that I lost the kitchen remodel fund at the track?