The beauty is in its bleakness
Perhaps employing a compulsive gambler as the assistant manager of a major Toronto bank wasn't the best of ideas.
But that's what happened in the 1980s when Dan Mahoney plundered $10.2 million from accounts at his own branch and blew it in the casinos of Atlantic City and Vegas.
Based on a true story, this film is a classic addiction tale as Mahoney starts small and gets in deeper and deeper.
First fiddling the books to pay off his bookie, finding it's not that difficult and reasoning that if he got away with it once then he will again. After all he's the boss so who is going to know?
But to pay back the money he needs to win it back. You can see where this is going to end up can't you?
Pretty soon we realise our Dan is a bit nuts as he yells at short-lived work buddy "You brought a curse on my table, give me my money!" as he blows his winnings and gets mired in the quick sand.
Filmgoers are used to addiction films which end up promoting what they are supposed to deplore. What I liked about this film was that it doesn't moralise but neither does it glamorise.
The beauty is in its bleakness. With his dull grey suit, thick glasses, unfashionable haircut and paunch Mahoney, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, actually looks like a bank manager.
Director Richard Kwietniowski has resisted the temptation to make Brad Pitt carry a briefcase to add box office numbers. Or maybe he just couldn't afford him.
Instead we have Mahoney in Instead we have Mahoney in this sunless vortex, commuting between Toronto and Atlantic City only to return in crushing defeat, gather his thoughts at the airport car park and then drive his junk-yard car back to the office where he will spend another week cooking the books.
He is an an exceedingly charmless character, except for those brief moments he needs to side-step a colleague, customer or awkward auditor.
The film's one concession to Hollywood is the inclusion of Minnie Driver as Mahoney's un-feasibly attractive wife - but they even put her in a bad wig and specs to diminish her appeal.
They certainly diminish her appeal to Mahoney who views her as minor annoyance - a romantic weekend is a trip to Vegas but she is not welcome at the table.
Nor are the hookers and drugs offered by ruthless casino owner played by John Hurt to whom Mahoney is a cash cow. Strangely the veteran British actor is un-engaging in the role and gets the duffest line of the movie when, while watching Mahoney in action on the table, blurts out: "All he cares about is the next hand." By that time we had already got the point as by this time Mahoney is going through US customs carrying bankrolls the width of baked bean cans.
But does he get away with it? That would be telling. But it's worth noting an admiring Atlantic City observes Dan Mahoney day every year.