3º – Owning Mahowny (Richard Kwietniowski, 2003)
A bank manager, addicted to gambling and the casino environment, begins to see his life go into an inexorable degenerative process when he decides to take an exorbitant amount of money out of his place of work. Unknown, ‘Owning Mahowny’ is a pearl of the cinema. Here, we can have a pessimistic view of the compendium related to gambling and casinos, also providing us with a fabulous performance by actor Philip Seymour Hoffman.
2º – Croupier (Mike Hodges, 1998)
An unsuccessful young writer is given the opportunity to work in a casino. After getting intensely involved with the meanderings of the place, the young man begins to forget the real reason for that job and his personal life, getting involved in cruel problems. Working irreproachably with the theme casino and gambling, this film captures the attention of those who watch for its intrinsic dynamism to each scene arranged. A good film that gets even better with the performance of Clive Owen, commanding the central character.
1º – Pitfall (André De Toth, 1948)
Tired of his professional life, at the head of an important company, and private, with a good marriage and a small son, a man ends up getting involved in a romance with a young woman he had met by virtue of his work. However, not everything is as simple as it seems, and the man will find himself involved in a situation not pleasant with the companion of the young woman who is imprisoned and also another man who nurtures an inexorable obsession for her. A masterpiece, ‘Pitfall’ takes advantage of the irresistible noir atmosphere of the time to debate some of the social paths and certain concerns found in ordinary individuals. Dick Powell and Lizabeth Scott command the central characters, both with fabulous and very intense performances. Lizabeth Scott is undoubtedly one of the great actresses to embody the traditional “femme fatales” of the noir of the 1940s, usually with memorable performances.
