Casino Jack - 2 smiles

“Casino Jack,” directed by George Hickenlooper, gets lost in the puzzle of its protagonist’s personality. Jack Abramoff (an over the top Kevin Spacey) is a study in hubris that eventually results in his own ruin and tarnishes the reputations of his colleagues. Unfortunately, Hickenlooper provides no satisfactory explanation for Abramoff’s behavior. An observant Jew and faithful family man (Kelly Preston plays his wife Pam), Abramoff is also a bully and con man, bilking Indian tribes out of millions of dollars and trying to muscle his way into off shore gambling. When he flaunts his connections to important Republicans and his growing celebrity in Washington, other lobbyists, who prefer to stay in the shadows, become nervous. The plot has so many components – envelopes full of money, names of various politicians, half-explained plans – that it’s more confusing than illuminating. And although “Casino Jack” is about the fall of a powerful lobbyist, Hickenlooper is less interested in the system that spawned (and supported) him, a system that still thrives in Washington politics. 12/25/10

From Wikipedia:

Casino Jack and the United States of Money is a 2010 documentary film directed by Alex Gibney. The film focuses on the career of Washington, D.C. lobbyist, businessman, and con man Jack Abramoff, who was involved in a massive corruption scandal that led to the conviction of himself, two White House officials, Rep. Bob Ney, and nine other lobbyists and congressional staffers. Abramoff was convicted of fraud, conspiracy, and tax evasion in 2006 and of trading expensive gifts, meals and sports trips in exchange for political favors. As of December 2010 Abramoff has completed his prison sentence.