Owning Mahowny | | Cast : | Philip Seymour Hoffman, Minnie Driver, John Hurt | | Director : | Richard Kwietniowski | | Studio : | Columbia Tristar Hom | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, Dolby | | Released Date : | January 01, 2003 | | DVD Released Date : | October 14, 2003 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), English (Subtitled), English (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | June 23, 2005 | | Summary | Owning "Owning Mahowny"? | Content
 | I rent Owning Mahowny about a year ago and still often find myself thinking about it. I do not rent or see lots of movies anymore, largely due to the flashy, tabloid-fodder being churned out by Hollywood studios these days (curiously, who are all strangely confused why box office receipts keep dropping year-after-year).
I very much like Owning Mahowny, and will be buying a copy. I have a bias towards factual, documentary-style accounts which is part of the reason I like it. But it carries a sober (if unintentional) message to it. I agree with the reviewer who said this should be required viewing before any trip to Vegas. Maybe for stock and options traders too.
The setting of the early 80's is quite convincing, and I found it nostalgic to see the hairstyles, the cars, even the CDN $50 and $100 bills being counted in the opening credits. The character Dan Mahowny is indeed an "unexciting guy" who speaks in a monotone...that's part of the character, as Philip Seymour Hoffman faithfully reproduced after speaking for hours with the real Brian Molony, whose name was changed slightly for the movie's title owing to privacy concerns. Therein lies much of the movie's appeal. This is truly an average guy who did something stunning. Combine this with the movie's matter-of-factual attention to small details, and you suddenly feel like you're there, in 1981, watching this man implode before your very eyes.
If you prefer an Angelina Jolie bad girl, or Uma Thurman dressed up in a yellow suit with a sword, or Will Smith punching-out an alien from the cockpit of an F-16, you're in luck. Hollywood has made all of those movies, and many, many more just like them. Some gratuitous Hollywood production values can be fun, but the original, riveting story of Owning Mahowny was an entertaining and welcome change for me. |
| Rating | | | Date | April 14, 2005 | | Summary | Just too depressing | Content
| "Owning Mahony" is well-thought out, well-written, well-acted and well-directed movie; but it is also way too depressing.
The movie is set around a main character, who has a pretty good job as a loan officer in a large bank. He has a girlfriend, whom appears to be serious about marriage. Our character also is respected enough by his peers to feel confidant and successful. Problem is, he has a serious gambling problem. A gamblng problem that will eventually lead to him stealing from his bank to fund weekend binges in Atlantic City.
The plot of the movie is great and the direction it takes is as well. The movie is extremly realistic and the soundtrack is very well suited for the gloomy, depressing atmosphere it is set in.
I found the movie watchable and humorous at times(I love the casino manager, who fires, and then re-hires Benny, a waitstaff employee whom our main character takes a liking too.) I just do not think that I could sit through this one again.
Worth a look, but not the buy. |
| Rating | | | Date | March 21, 2005 | | Summary | Very realistic depiction of gambling addiction. | Content
| Watch this movie for the following reasons:
1: If you are addicted to gambling or even just a "social gambler", because it will make you think twice before you place another bet.
2: If you are related to a compulsive gambler, and you need to have a better perspective of this destructive secret life lived by Phillip Seymour Hoffman in this movie.
3: If you are planning a vacation in Atlantic city or Vegas, watch this first.
4: If you are a fan of Hoffman, don't miss this movie that allows him to showcase his very best leading performance alongside with Love Liza.
In this devastating journey of a gambling addiction, Phillip Seymour Hoffman plays Mahowny a bank executive over the course a decade, had embessled money in the milliions to feed his gambling binges secretly, not even his girlfriend(played by the underused Mini Driver) has any idea about his secret life. The addiction had taken over him inside out, and eventually got caught for his stealing. John Hurt is brilliant as a casino owner, his character has seen all kinds gamblers, and he was fascinated that Mahowny didn't even want to spend time with hired prostitutes to service him, and just kept on betting for hours on end. It was gripping to see the intensity on Hoffman when he was in action. He just nailed every scene perfectly, and his performance is Oscar-caliber stuff. |
| Rating | | | Date | February 09, 2005 | | Summary | Devastating movie! | Content
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The progressive ethic pulverization and moral deconstructing of a gambler is showed with all the possible intensity and merciless realism . Extraordinary psychological approach in this introspective being human who observes with cold blood how his world falls around him,
Chilling script and towering performance by Seymour Hoffman consolidate him as one of the most solid actors in the American Cinema. Every step and little movement will let you astonished. Hoffman appears the ninety nine per cent film's running time so consider the unbearable emotional tension in every bet and the histamine will emerge from your own pores.
Simply outstanding!
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| Rating | | | Date | January 30, 2005 | | Summary | One of the Most Realistic "Con" Films There Is! | Content
| Oceans Eleven? The Italian Job? The Usual Suspects? Yes, these were all very good films about one of hollywood's favorite subjects - the confidence scheme. And they all have something else in common - a bit too much glitz with a bit too little realism.
That's where "Owning Mahowny" comes in. Based on the true story of a gambling-addicted Canadian banker who finds a way to play the bank's money against the casino's, "Owning Mahowney" is nothing if not focused on realism. As another reviewer noted, the drama is as much about the con as it is about the man behind it; equally about the game and the player. Whereas most con films concern themselves with wowing audiences with fast action and glitzy characters, "Owning Mahowny" is about an average guy who gets into a situation that quickly snowballs away from him.
I can't say, as others do, that the acting was terribly phenomenal. It was certainly good, but nothing that blew me away. Philip Seymour Hoffman (our main character) has played the downtrodden, depressed, man often, and not shockingly, he does it here again. Minnie Driver, who plays Mahowny's disappointed but faithful, girlfriend, is decent and believable but that's about it. Again, nothing to blow me away, but enough for it to feel 'just right.'
But when all is said and done, this film is less about acting and more about the dialogue and direction, which are both superb. The story line and characters have much realistic depth. The plot is intriguing but never over-the-top (as many con films can be). A beautiful job was done in not over-glorifying or over-demonizing Mahowny, and by effect, the viewer finds themselves in a state of tension over whether to like him or hate him.
At long last, a con film that is fun and suspenseful without sacrificing depht and realism. |
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