X

2010
R
Magnolia Pictures
1 h 58 m

2010
R
Magnolia Pictures
1 h 58 m

Summary This 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...

Documentary

2010
R
Magnolia Pictures
1 h 58 m

2010
R
Magnolia Pictures
1 h 58 m

Casino Jack and the United States of Money

Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 22 Critic Reviews

68

User Score Universal Acclaim Based on 5 User Ratings

8.4

My Score

Hover and click to give a rating Saved

Where to Watch

Summary This 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...

Documentary

Where to Watch

Top Cast

Jack Abramoff

Self - Lobbyist

Tom DeLay

Self - Representative, Texas

William Branner

Actor

Melanie Sloan

Self - Director, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington

Nina Easton

Self - Author, Gang of Four

Dana Rohrabacher

Self - Representative, California

Thomas Frank

Self - Author, The Wrecking Crew

J. Michael Waller

Self - Director, Institute of World Politics

Ralph Reed

Self - Republican Activist

Grover Norquist

Self - Republican Activist

Jonas Savimbi

Self - UNITA Rebel Leader, Angola

Lewis E. Lehrman

Self - Financier, The Democratic International

Neil Volz

Self - Former Chief of Staff to Rep. Bob Ney

Bob Ney

Self - Representative, Ohio

Susan Schmidt

Self - Former Reporter, The Washington Post

Robert G. Kaiser

Self - Author, So Damn Much Money

Peter Fitzgerald

Self - Senator, Illinois

Ron Platt

Self - Former Greenberg Traurig Lobbyist

James C. Dobson

Self - Founder, Focus on the Family

Michael Scanlon

Self - Press Secretary for Tom DeLay

View All Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews

Metascore

Generally Favorable Based on 22 Critic Reviews

73% Positive
16 Reviews

27% Mixed
6 Reviews

0% Negative
0 Reviews

All Reviews
Positive Reviews
Mixed Reviews
Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

Metascore

Generally Favorable Based on 22 Critic Reviews

73% Positive
16 Reviews

27% Mixed
6 Reviews

0% Negative
0 Reviews

All Reviews
Positive Reviews
Mixed Reviews
Negative Reviews

Portland Oregonian

Prolific documentarian Alex Gibney takes a labyrinthine, detail-laden story and crafts an attention-holding film, polemical without ranting.

By Marc Mohan FULL REVIEW

Gibney has enough material for a dozen movies here, but his attempt at an overview, however unwieldy, paints one hell of a nauseating picture.

By Scott Tobias FULL REVIEW

Abramoff may be in prison but the mindset that produced him -- and the pay-to-play government it needs to survive -- is triumphant.

By Ty Burr FULL REVIEW

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.

By J.R. Jones FULL REVIEW

Austin Chronicle

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.

By Kimberley Jones FULL REVIEW

Washington Post

Gibney's documentary strains to make sense of the minutiae without losing the audience's attention over its formidable, two-hour length.

By Philip Kennicott FULL REVIEW

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.

By Joshua Rothkopf FULL REVIEW

See All 22 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

User Score

Universal Acclaim Based on 5 User Ratings

100% Positive
5 Ratings

0% Mixed
0 Ratings

0% Negative
0 Ratings

User Reviews

User Score

Universal Acclaim Based on 5 User Ratings

100% Positive
5 Ratings

0% Mixed
0 Ratings

0% Negative
0 Ratings

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

Details

Production Company Jigsaw Productions, Magnolia Pictures, Participant

Release Date May 7, 2010

Duration 1 h 58 m

Rating R

Genres

Documentary

Tagline Come See Where Your Democracy Went

Website http://www.takepart.com/casinojack

View All Details

Awards

Sundance Film Festival

• 1 Nomination

Cinema for Peace Awards

• 1 Nomination

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