This is the true story of the biggest Canadian bank fraud case in Toronto's history. The story is about a compulsive gambler of the worst kind named Dan Mahowny (Philip Seymour Hoffman). Mahowny has just become promoted to being a bank manager and he is very good at his job. Unfortunately, he has access to a million dollar account and dummies up paperwork to get his hands on money to keep gambling. His fiance Belinda (Minnie Driver) knows he goes to the track and bets a little but is unaware of the extent of his problem. He goes to a casino in Atlantic City to bet and the owner Victor Foss (John Hurt) quickly notices him and keeps his eye on him. Lots of questions are being asked as to who this Mahowny really is and they think he's a real high roller. They tempt him with free shows but he says no, he just wants to gamble. They try and give him free drinks and he still says no. Then Foss sends up a prostitute to his free suite and he sends her back. Foss is fascinated by Mahowny and calls him "The Ice Man". But the police have been tapping the line of Mahowny's bookie and they also are trying to figure out where he gets the money. What can you say about Hoffmans performance? In my book its an early candidate for an Oscar nomination and I'll be checking the nominations out next year. Hoffman plays Mahowny exactly the way an obsessive person would. Hoffman rarely even looks at whoever he is communicating with. He seems to be annoyed that he has to stop gambling and talk to people. His whole existence is to gamble. Hoffman throws himself into the role and their is no compassion aimed at his character. Your not suppose to root for him but Hoffman is so compelling to watch that your fascinated by the attention that he has accumulated at the casinos. Hoffman is at the top of his form and even when you see Mahowny at work its just an excuse to try and get more money for his real existence. To gamble. Driver is a terrific actress but aside from some scenes when she confronts her fiance about his problem she seems to be in a role that screamed to be rewritten. Two scenes stick out with Driver, the first is a very symbolic shot of her in Las Vegas looking for Mahowny. She is coming down the escalator to find her fiance. But on the other side of her the escalator has a newly wedded couple on their way up! I thought this symbolized her fate if she continues to have a relationship with him. The other scene is when she finds Mahowny at the poker table and a security guard is about to drag her away for annoying the players. Mahowny barely notices her and its here that Belinda realizes the extent of his problem. Hurt is also good as the fascinated Victor Foss. His character has seen a lot of gamblers with problems before but Mahowny seems to be the king of all of them and its something that he's never seen before, at least not on such an extreme level. Well made film is directed by Richard Kwietniowski who is smart enough to get terrific actors to enhance his low budget films. While the film is structured adequately, its the performance by Hoffman that really raises this film up a few levels. When the nominations come out next year, I hope they remember this finely detailed performance.
Review of Owning Mahowny
