Fresh Reviews: "Casino Jack And The United States Of Money"

Rated R for strong language.

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It's only been a couple of years since the downfall of Jack Abramoff, super-lobbyist with extremely intimate ties to many of the most powerful figures in the Republican party (though the Democrats had their dealings with him as well). So it's amazing to me that these days when I bring up his name, an incredible number of people have trouble remembering who he was and what he did. It's something we shouldn't ever forget, because it's an important cautionary tale about what can happen to our government when we get complacent and aren't constantly vigilant. The new documentary by Alex Gibney, "Casino Jack And The United States Of Money", will hopefully be an important tool in reminding some and teaching others.

Jack Abramoff was one of the founders of the "College Republicans", and used that position to rise in power within the national party to the point where he was the king of all lobbyists, making a fortune by selling access to major political figures all the way up to President George W. Bush (most of whom, of course, conveniently forgot they ever knew him once his downfall occurred). But he had his hand in virtually every other kind of crooked money making scheme, scamming untold numbers of people through fraudulent investment companies, Native American casinos, and anything else you'd care to name. Eventually, though, it all came tumbling down on him. This movie traces the rise and fall.

Director Alex Gibney is an Oscar winner for "Taxi To The Dark Side" and a nominee for "Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room", so you can be assured that this is a guy who knows how to put across a sometimes overwhelming amount of factual data in a way that will never bore you. This is by no means one of those "all talking heads" documentaries (not that there isn't any of that), but Gibney utilizes state of the art CGI effects to place the faces of Abramoff's cronies and/or victims in places of oranges and lemons on slot machines, and surround us with the texts of Abramoff E-mails on screen. (If you're wondering why I'm bringing up effects, remember that I am, after all, not doing a study or review of Jack Abramoff himself here, I'm reviewing a movie about him.) And regardless of the serious subject matter, the film has a real sense of sarcastic humor about it as well. The film is a documentary, but that doesn't mean you won't be entertained.

Even if you DO clearly recall Abramoff, you might not recall that there was a period in the 1980's when he briefly left lobbying to attempt to become a movie producer. But we're reminded of his unintentionally hysterical attempts in that area via clips from the classic of cheese "Red Scopion" starring Dolph Lundgren. We also learn how Abramoff provided much of the amunition that his victims were able to use against him TO those victims by writing about the most explicit, graphic details of his schemes in an endless series of E-mails. It seems difficult to imagine that Abramoff wouldn't have realized that E-mails are the next closest thing to a paper trail and that he was creating a huge one every day... but who knows how his twisted mind worked?

It should be stated that, as one interviewee puts it, "Corruption is not a partisan issue". Abramoff WAS a Republican and therefore most of his cohorts were as well, but there were Democrats who were just as complicit and eager to accept whatever funds he was willing to float their way. This is a fascinating portrait of, among other things, the ways that the desperate "need" to get re-elected can corrupt not only the people who are supposed to be representing us, but the very principles those elected officials claim to support. Abramoff could easily have been caught in the act much earlier than he was, but too many people were willing to look the other way or just assume (hope?) that what they were doing was not illegal. There's an old saying that was originally used in a much different context, but it certainly applies here: "Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty". This film tries to make that notion clear to viewers without hitting them over the head with it (well, at least not too strongly).

"Casino Jack And The United States Of Money" is a movie that, if it is successful in doing what it hopes to do, ought to make you very, very angry. Angry that these people were able to get away with what they did for so long, and angry that so few people seemed to care. But anger is not always a negative emotion, In this case, Gibney hopes to get enough people angry enough that they will pay attention, keep alert, and always hold our elected and other officials... of whatever political party.. to account for what they're doing in the pursuit of personal power versus actually helping their constituents and citizenry. This IS still a government "of the people and by the people" if we BELIEVE that it is, and that's Gibney's ultimate message. It actually winds up making "Casino Jack And The United States Of Money" a very hopeful film.