Owning Mahowny movie review

aelst's review

Movie about a gambler investment banker who gambles away the company's money. The actor is the same guy as that loser friend in 25th Hour. He's really good at playing these types of roles. The characters in this movie all act very differently. Mahowny's girlfriend is a bit of a pushover, Mahowny himself is a non-confronting type, but he tempts fate all through the movie and that is painful to watch. The casino head guy isn't as cool as in the other movies. The black dude is a skinny pushover good kid. The FBI agent isn't cool at all -- he has povo backup, and a fat guy doing his wiretaps. The casino security guys watching the video tapes have lame cheers when Mahowny's playing (and winning). The mafia guys aren't cool enough, I can't pinpoint why...

Maybe every character in this movie is meant to be lame.

At the end of the movie it said it was a true story. I guess it'd have to be because nothing too ridiculous happened in the movie..

Good acting by P.S. Hoffman. 3 out of 5 stars.

ratbag's review

"Owning Mahowny" is a character piece --meaning you shouldn't expect a strong plot. Rather, it showcases Hoffman's disciplined dedication to his profession, as he convincingly portrays a boring banker who has irresponsibly indulged in his gambling addiction. Gambling has not been glamorised in this film, unlike other Hollywood films. Mahowny's remorsefulness over his addiction is similar to, say, a sexual pervert's.

A film about a boring banker's downward spiral cannot be considered exciting, however if you enjoy witnessing a good actor at his craft, "Owning Mahowny" will be enjoyable.