Owning Mahowny Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
To some it's a game. To others it's a habit. But to Dan Mahowny -- beating the odds is everything
The true story of a mild mannered banker and his magnificent obsession.
Based on the true story of a Toronto bank manager, Dan Mahowny is addicted to gambling. Horses and sports are only a few of his interests. Eventually, he creates dummy accounts at his bank and uses that money to fly to Atlantic City to gamble. He seems to get little joy from winning and his addiction is such that he is unable to stop in any event. Even if he wins huge amounts - which he does - he simply continues to play until he has lost it all. It's a frighteningly lonely experience that cannot include friends or anyone else around him. In the end, his hours and hours at the tables give him nothing and as his embezzlement catches up to him, he is arrested and sent to jail.
| Philip Seymour Hoffman | Dan Mahowny |
| Minnie Driver | Belinda |
| John Hurt | Victor Foss |
| Maury Chaykin | Frank Perlin |
| Ian Tracey | Det. Ben Lock |
| Sonja Smits | Dana Selkirk |
| K.C. Collins | Bernie |
| Jason Blicker | Dave Quinson |
| Vince Corazza | Doug |
| Roger Dunn | Bill Gooden |
| Eric Fink | Psychologist |
| Mike 'Nug' Nahrgang | Parking Attendant |
| Brona Brown | Teller |
| Philip Craig | Briggs |
| Richard Kwietniowski |
7.00 out of 10 (4593 votes)
Visitor Reviews
a real grasp on a true love (the next card, roll)
posted on 23 Jun 2009you may read from other viewers- "a slow movie" "addiction this, addiction that" "the evil of money"NO NO NO, HELLS NO. you read to much into it. philip symour Hoffman is a excellent actor that plays the realest of roles. some say "melancholic." I say "real." in this movie, Hoffman plays the role of a man with a passion, a true love for the sport. that's right, i said sport. gambling isn't about winning, that's where the movie is misleading. philip, although an excellent actor, appears to those unaware of the "feeling" to be upset with his losses. in reality he is p***ed for taking the money, not loosing it. if the money he puts up were his own, mahowny would be all smiles. its not a net loss or net gain, the reasons for such a dedication is due to the utility (happiness) one receives from an activity. mahowny, like many others i know, rank gambling and its thrills at the highest levels of life's expectations. i really loved this movie and thought that it took a descent stab at the true love of reality. i would recommend it to anyone with a background in the sport.
Deserves better that that
posted on 15 Jun 2009I'm not saying this is an Oscar winning masterpiece, but it deserves better than a 4.4. First it is a movie about the fascinating and complex world of money. Of making money, of transferring money, of turning nothing into money. The protagonist, consistent in his flat play throughout the movie convinces me enough to follow the plot beginning to end. If there is something I would criticize it would be the fact that the writer assumes we know more about the world of finance. If not, he assumes the plotline is too interesting. Because what does make this story good is the mechanisms Mahoney employs to actually make money - and if I don't understand them, I lose something. But overall, a commendable film, not about your everyday subject, and admirably carried out.
The book was better
posted on 10 May 2009I didn't get much out of the movie. The book was better, which conveys a better sense of the desperation of the addiction, the massive amount of money lost, and the ease with which the money was embezzled. I must say, the more I see Phillip Seymour Hoffman, the more I like him. I don't recall from the book (which I read more than 10 years ago)what kind of car Dan Mahowny actually had, but in the move he drives a green, 2-door 1972 Dodge Dart Swinger. I know, because I had a 1973 exactly like his. I had it for 10 years, and, apart from the indestructibility of the engine, it was a total piece of crap. That more than anything in the movie emphasized for me a point that was understated in the movie but was a major point of the book: that Mahowny didn't benefit at all from the millions he stole, except to flame the fires of his gambling addiction.
A Dicey Tale
posted on 24 Apr 2009(Minor Spoilers) The thing that struck me most about sick and degenerate gambler Dan Mahowny,Philip Seymour Hoffman,is that throughout the entire movie he hardly showed any emotion at all in all the adventures that he went through. You would see Dan win and lose tens of thousands of dollars in the Atlantic City and Las Vegas casinos have his fiancé walk out and later come back to him. Even when he's arrested for embezzling the bank that he worked in for over ten million dollars he seemed to be in a self-induced trance. The only times when Dan show any real emotions at all was when he was unable, because of lack of funds, to gamble.Low-keyed but very effective story of what the illness of compulsive gambling could do to even the strongest of us if we let it take over our lives like Dan Mahowny did in the move as well as in real life. Starting off beating on horses and basketball games Dan gets in trouble with his local Toronto bookies Frank & Dave, Maury Chaykin & Jason Blicker,when his credit runs out and they cut him off from his action. Needing cash desperately Dan starts to embezzles his clients at the bank of at first thousands then millions of dollars. Always a step ahead of the bank auditors he keeps this up until it just overwhelms him when he runs out of tricks and ideas in juggling the accounts around. By then Dan doesn't really care anymore if he's caught or not since he has nothing left to gamble with. Going to Atlantic City Dan gets hooked on the dice and card tables and runs up and down tens of thousands of dollars every night. The casino owner Victor Foss, John Hurt, treats Dan as if he were the president of the United States with free luxury hotel rooms all the excellent and exotic foods that he can eat, Dan only likes spare ribs with no sauce and a coke, and even high priced hookers just to keep Dan coming back to his casino and bet.Foss, as well as the police in Atlantic City and Toronto, has a suspicion that Dan's money may be cash that he's laundering for the mob since Dan makes only $22,000.00 a year, this is in 1980, as a bank manager. The fact that Dan works in a bank in the first place and has access to millions doesn't seem to have dawned on Foss. Wanting to go to Vegas and get married Dan's fiancé Belinda, Minnie Driver, is left alone as Dan ends up in the casino betting his wedding and honeymoon money. Dan's later wiped in the Vega casino that he played in. The first thing he does, instead of returning the money that he embezzled, is go back to Foss' Atlantic City gambling den only to lose it all plus more after being up nine million dollars and almost putting Foss' joint out of business. It all ends for Dan back in Toronto when the local cops put the cuffs on him as they corral him on the streets with what looked like the city's entire fleet of police squad cars. We get this whole story from Dan himself as he tells his tale of woe to the prison psychologist, Eric Fink. When asked by Dr. Fink how he rated gambling to everything else in life Dan said that gambling was 100% and that just living was only 20%, 5 to 1, in excitement. Now and for the rest of his life Dan will have to live like most people do, according to him, with a 20% excitement level. Were told that since Dan's arrest he married Belinda, when he was let out of prison on a three day pass, and completely stopped gambling since his release after serving six years. Were also told that at Atlantic City the casino's are closed one day a year thats called "Dan Mahowny Day" named in Dan's honor.
Might be based upon a good book....
posted on 19 Feb 2009This has an interesting-enough story, some remarkable performances, and decent production values, yet still fails, for several reasons.First - Minnie Driver should never wear another blond wig. It wasn't a bad wig, mind you - but she looked so wrong as a blond that it marred every scene she was in.Second - have someone who hasn't read the book read the script. So much of what was going on was unexplained that it was difficult to follow the action.For example, at one point, Mahowny is gambling in a casino, dealing from the shoe. The game could be blackjack, but it's not clear enough to be certain, you never see the other player(s?) at the table, so it's unclear whether it's a casino employee or another patron. The only casino game in which patrons deal that I know of is baccarat - and I don't believe that that is played in U.S. casinos.At another point, Mahowny is driving along in his old car, and the scene cuts to his car being stopped in the middle of the street, with him trying to restart it. Did he run out of gas? Did the engine just quit, inexplicably? The action at the bank is told in much the same way - there are little snippets, but the viewer never gets enough information to have a clear idea of how our protagonist is doing what he's doing.It probably makes a much better story if you already know the story - but there's so much missing from the actual action, and from the characters, that it's remarkably difficult to become engaged with either the events or the characters.I'm giving it 4/10, but only that high because the performances were as good as they were. The script gets 1/10 - I must admit, I've seen worse.
Hoffman's sweaty fumbling shtick works.
posted on 09 Feb 2009Intense film with Philip Seymor Hoffmann as the introspective banker with a gambling problem... A pretty big one. The presence of Hoffman and cards made me think of Hard Eight/Sydney, but this is a very different film from that one; the direction is never flashy or showy in any way, doesn't mean it's bland though, it doesn't seem interested in breaking any new ground, being revolutionary, it just wants to tell this sad story about a man who may be a decent dude, even though he's never exactly sympathetic, but who just can't control himself and his impulse to gamble. Not a lot of messing about, just straight to the point. It actually makes for fairly uncomfortable viewing, since the waiting can be almost unbearable. When is he going to loose? Why won't he stop while he's ahead? When are they going to discover his fraud? And why the devil do I care so much? Constantly interesting and intriguing, at least for anybody who's ever done something even though they probably knew the shouldn't, and Hoffmann is superb in the lead. Mumbling, fumbling, sweating, it's a real Hoffmann performance, but a great one of those.Some script problems, things are introduced on account of plot progression and such, but they aren't really interesting in their own right, and the low-key style may get to some, but other then that a very good film
Riveting
posted on 09 Dec 2008there was an "awkwardness" about this film that had me totally engaged. i watched it at home on vhs and watched it twice. hoffman was absolutely astounding in his role as mahowny. his performance is well worthy of an aa nomination. all of the actors were superb with a tremendous very restrained role played by minnie driver. it's hard to believe that this story is based on actual real life events. please don't miss this movie!
Lacking
posted on 15 Nov 2008A wonderfully acted movie (Did anyone else think that Mini Driver was Tracy Ullmann)?, taken down by its ending. I thought the story developed very well, and it was based on real events which always makes something more interesting. I'm surprised more people haven't seen this film. Its worth the price of admission, but yeah, it probably won't go down as one of the best films ever. Its 4.8 vote average is pretty harsh. Also, you must stay for the end of the credits. That's all I gotta say.
Im my honest oppinion
posted on 15 Nov 2008I have to agree with a few people. The story line does tend to drag a bit at times, but I felt this was the most accurate look at the life of a compulsive gambler. It does not glorify anything. If your looking for another happy candy coated addiction movie, this is not it. But if your willing to open your eyes to one of the biggest problems plaguing our civilization then check it out.
An intriguing character study with a strong lead performance
posted on 16 Oct 2008This film has only just been released in New Zealand which is surprising considering how much we enjoyed it.Hoffman is quite superb in the lead and has excellent support from Driver and Hurt.We felt a range of emotions,as portrayed by the onlookers in the Casino, as Mahowney continued to gamble in spite of winning millions and could not unlock himself from the mindset in which he had become trapped.This film succeeded in demonstrating the effects of gambling on an otherwise normal,intelligent person and remained entertaining with plenty of tension to hold one's interest throughout.The power of being consumed by a gambling addiction was well illustrated by Mahowney's rejection of the "trappings" that go with being a high roller - or maybe he was just a boring person? A very enjoyable watch.
Disturbingly Powerful!
posted on 16 Oct 2008Owning Mahowny is a powerfully disturbing film involving the very true addiction of gambling. Philip Seymour Hoffman could not have been better cast to portray the ultimate mind suffering of Mr. Mahowny. The casino scenes were shot with vivid intensity, the viewer felt they were sucked into the seedy moments. A magnificent hit of gambling that did not take the typical avenue of glamorizing the act. This thriller keeps you on your tows. A very basic understanding of cards and money is a benefit to enjoying the film, but certainly not (As one reviewer so poorly put it) a requirement. 8 out of 10 in my bet. As for gambling, viewers won't have to gamble on enjoying this film.
Superb portrayal of a compulsive gambler
posted on 28 Sep 2008SpoilersThis movie is based on a true story that happened in Toronto in the early eighties, about a branch bank manager called Dan Mahowny who embezzled ten million dollars to pay for his gambling debts. For those of us who happened to be living in Toronto at that time, this movie offers something extra. What's more, watching this movie in a relatively small community cinema in Toronto feels almost like going to a party. You hear roars of laughter breaking out at unlikely place such as: `This guy makes twenty-two thousand dollars Canadian', or `We meant to treat you at Swiss Chalet'.Philip Seymour Hoffman shines again, after The Talented Mr. Ripley and Red Dragon, in both of which played relatively minor supporting roles but left a great impression. Here, his delivers a mesmerizing portrayal of a compulsive gambler who would otherwise be a perfectly normal, caring man. His performance in the last gamble scene when he starts by beating Atlantic City but ends up losing his shirt (so what else is new?) is worth the price of the admission.Minnie Driver (Goodwill Hunting, An Ideal Husband) plays a normal woman who makes a `normal assumption' that when her boyfriend takes her to Vegas to stay in a plush suite, it must be for the purpose of marrying her there. On her performance, maybe I can draw a culinary analogy: the most challenging thing sometimes is not making fancy dishes with unpronounceable names, but fixing up simple daily dishes like an omelet or a pancake and make it stand out. This is Driver playing Belinda, a very ordinary woman who happens to love her man, even when turns out that he is sentenced to six years in prison. Despite the ridiculous wig (which everybody mentioned), she manages to make something out of this role that offers little opportunities. This is why Driver is one of my most favorite actresses.John Hurt's performance as the charismatic casino boss Victor Voss can only be described as classic. Before seeing this movie, I could not imagine him in such as role but after seeing it, I could not think of anyone else (including the great De Niro) who can do it better.The film also pokes fun at manipulative bankers, famish casino operators, gullible bank auditors and over-cautious policemen. These, with other humorous touches, generate chuckles of mirth throughout.One last thing: there's a comment in the dialogue to the effect that not long ago (counting back from the time of the story), you would need the bank's (your employer) permission to get married. That is no joke, but absolutely true. I once worked there.
Completely Gripping
posted on 24 Jun 2008I just finished watching this film & i have to say, right from the first scene i was gripped. not once did i look away from the screen. Hoffman played his part perfectly with not a foot wrong.If you get the chance to watch this film then dont hesitate.Brilliant.
Artistically excellent
posted on 19 May 2008I rented this movie based solely on the fact that Philip Seymour Hoffman was on the cover. Hoffman's characters never disappoint me: the smiling and sniveling "Brant" in "The Big Lebowski", the "male nurse" in "Magnolia", the bombastic trust-fund playboy "Freddie Miles" in "The Talented Mr. Ripley", and the sleazy "phone-sex-line manager/mattress salesman" in "Punch Drunk Love". Hoffman has a knack for shining in these types of movies. His range as an actor is also worth mentioning. Every one of these characters is different. Hoffman is the anti-Keanu. (Every one of Keanu's characters is played as "Ted" from "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure".)Hoffman plays Dan Mahowny, a bank manager with a gambling problem. And with that, you pretty much have the whole plot of the movie. The plot gains some credibility in that it's based on actual events, but "Mahowny" isn't a plot-based movie, it's a character study. It's a snapshot of an addict, reaching the end of the line. Movies about addicts are a dime a dozen and we all know how the story is going to go. But a few things make Mahowney stand out.First, Hoffman's acting. I can't decide if it's brilliant or pathetic. His character is so understated. He spends the entire movie with his head buried in his chest. He speaks in a murmur and it seems like it's an effort for him even to keep breathing. This could have just been bad acting, given Hoffman's talents in other movies, I'm going to assume that this was intentional. That's impressive, because it's just as hard for a good actor to play a bad one as it is to go the other way.Second, the photography. Most of the photography in the film is pretty textbook, but scattered throughout the movie are some really beautiful shots. Shots in which the composition really shines or shots in which the camera placement subtly accents what's happening in the plot.Third, the writing. While the plot as a whole isn't very original, the screenwriters have punctuated the movie with little symbolic touches that stand out. For example, throughout the movie, characters comment on how poorly-dressed Mahowney is, how he should "get himself a good suit one of these days," and "you still driving that old car?" Towards the end of the movie, his girlfriend gives him a nice jacket to wear over his suit and a character comments on how good it looks just as Mahowney flies to Atlantic City for a gambling binge (ultimately his last). When he is arrested, the police pat him down and then strip the jacket off of him. The jacket comes to symbolize everything he should be doing, everything he's losing due to his addiction. In another scene, towards the end, Mahowney is escorted into the casino under guard (as a V.I.P.), mirroring a scene at the beginning where he is waiting to enter the casino while a V.I.P. is whisked past."Mahowney" is a slow, gentle, almost balletic movie, punctuated with small moments that would be swallowed up if the rest of the movie were any more emphatic. I really enjoyed those small moments, but I probably wouldn't watch the film again. Unlike "Punch Drunk Love," where I felt that the artistic value of the movie as a whole made up for the crazy plot, "Mahowney" falls short. It's slow at times, even painful to watch as Mahowney steals money from his bank again and again, and we in the audience know eventually it'll catch up with him. The movie brilliantly sucks the audience into the experience of gambling addiction, but it's a warning that I've heard so many times before that there's not much value in going there again.That being said, I would like to emphasize that, purely as an expression of the filmmaking art, this movie is brilliant. What it sets out to do, it does so well that it's astounding. It is full of talent, both in front of and behind the camera. In the end, I just didn't like what it set out to do enough to give the movie a higher rating.Overall rating: 3 stars. Glad I rented it, glad I watched it, probably wouldn't watch it again.
Another great performance by Phillip Seymor Hoffman!
posted on 03 Apr 2008"Owning Mahoney" was the highlight of my Sundance Festival experience. The emotional intensity displayed by Phillip Seymor Hoffman was incredible. He portrays a man with a gambling problem, a BIG problem. When we see him in the casinos he has this icy stare whether he's winning or losing. In one scene he blows off his girlfriend to continue gambling and shows absolutely no emotion towards her. It's amazing the way gambling seems to consume him. Overall the writing was decent, the directing good, and the cinemartography was great. I highly reccomend this film.
I like it for a few reasons
posted on 31 Dec 2007This is one of those rare films that affected my mental state at the time.
I paused it to run a few errands, and while out on the town I had this strong feeling that I was going to be caught soon and the gig would be up.
That's a rare accomplishment for a film, to affect me in such a way. This of itself was an endearing effect of the film for me.However, I also enjoyed it on an intellectual level. It seemed right on target about something I've noticed in society. Not addiction - although its portrayal of addiction was certainly spot on - but rather, the way that society enables, perhaps even encourages, us to continue our addictive behaviors. The bank higher-ups seeming overjoyed at the notion of taking more money from people; the vegas and atlantic city branches competing for someone's business; the bookie who lets money override his feelings of guilt; the friends who see his problem but aren't forceful in solving it. Aside from the social statement, I also liked the way that addictions ran into each other in some sort of harmonious way. Mahowny's addiction to gambling somehow enabled and fed upon other people's addiction to money.Perhaps the production value is a bit low, and perhaps the plot itself seems to be embellished a bit from what reality might contain, yet the overall ideas of what happened, how it happened, and so forth certainly resonate with me.
Getting inside the head of a gambler
posted on 26 Oct 2007Philip Seymour Hoffman gives a straight-up, realistic portrayal of a gambler in "Owning Mahowny". Anyone watching the movie can't help getting caught up in the emotions of the gambler. The disbelief he feels at the blackjack table after placing and losing his last bet is palpable, as is the sense of resignation in knowing he'll be back at the tables before long. One gets caught up in the rhythm of winning and losing and after awhile you can see how money used for gambling loses its 'real' value -it's just a ways and means of keeping in the game. Mahowny's denial of having a gambling problem and choosing instead to call it 'financial difficulties' is so absurd it's almost laughable - but not quite.
A study of obsession
posted on 02 Sep 2007I think that you need never have been a gambler to appreciate this movie - but it probably helps. The scope is wider than the intimate examination of gambling addiction, it is a study of obsession in general. For the obsessed nothing really matters but their obsession. In their hearts the obsessive must know that things will have to end badly, but pursuing the obsession as long as possible is the goal. Humbert Humbert and his pursuit of Lolita comes to mind as a classic example.Philip Seymour Hoffman is excellent as usual. He plays Dan Mahowny in a realistic way - an average man with little charisma. But the pacing of the movie and the surprisingly effective soundtrack keep things moving. There have been a lot of movies about gambling, but this one offers the most intimate study of a particular addict that I have seen. No tremendous bursts of emotion or high drama, just the honest details.
watch the face
posted on 05 Aug 2007One of the joys of watching Philip Seymour Hoffman is to see what he does with very small facial movements. The reining in of these facial expressions adds much to the tension of the movie. In contrast with "amateur" actors who go over the top in order to present the moviegoer with their characters, Hoffman goes in the opposite direction and forces us to pay attention to the smallest of details in his behavior. Minnie Driver is almost hidden by makeup and wig in her role as the long-suffering girlfriend. (A good thing.) John Hurt gives yet another interesting performance as the casino owner who is totally intrigued with the addicted gambler (Hoffman), getting much glee out of watching a man who MUST keep playing the game.
All Hoffman
posted on 19 Jul 2009"Owning Mahoney" tells of a bank account manager and pathological gambler who lives from one wager to the next on a collision course with oblivion. A powerful and compelling tour de force by Hoffman - who once again proves he ranks among the actor's actors with the likes of Brando, Pacino, and Nicholson - this engrossing film claims to be a true story of a man, money, and an obsession of remarkable proportions. A worthwhile watch for Hoffman fans and anyone into character studies, particularly of obsessive-compulsive types. All others stay away. (A-)