Owning Mahoney (2003)
I thought that maybe I should preface
this review with the standard "Some Spoilers" warning.
But then I realized that nothing I write could really
spoil this film. After all, it is only arthouse fans
and Phillip Seymour Hoffman fans that are going to
see the film. Most of these folks are wise enough
not to read reviews before they see a film.
If "Owning Mahoney" was the exact
same movie but starring Ben Affleck or Colin Farrell
or Mark Wahlberg or Edward Norton, it would be playing
at every megaplex in America, in wide release and
grossing millions of dollars. Then again, with those
exact same actors in this role, the film would never
be as extremely good as it is. It wouldn't be 10 percent
of the film that it is with Phillip Seymour Hoffman
in the lead role. Hoffman may very well be the most
popular indie actor working today - and "Owning Mahoney"
shows why. His performance is phenomenal. His performance
is daring, myopic, focused and, in short, perfection.
Hoffman is the key here. He plays
Dan Mahoney perfectly. Or, to be more precise, he
underplays Mahoney perfectly. It is Hoffman's controlled,
measured and precise performance that propels the
film and sets the tone for the film. Imagine this
character in the hands of Johnny Depp or Norton, two
very fine actors; it would be completely different.
It would look like the trailer for "The Good Thief."
It would be directed by Steven Soderberg and would
be all flash and complexity and cunning. Hoffman wisely
goes the exactly opposite way, lead well by his director
and scripter, and brings us a character we can barely
understand - or so it seems for a long while.
The story behind "Owning Mahoney"
is based on reality but knowing the story isn't necessary
and may even detract somewhat from the film. Suffice
it to say that Hoffman plays the titular character,
Dan Mahoney, a young assistant bank manager who begins
funnelling money from his workplace to pay off his
gambling debts. As time goes on, and he gets away
with it, he becomes more daring. That's really all
you need to know.
There is a scene late in the film,
however, that brings it all into focus. Hoffman's
Mahoney is shooting craps early in the evening and
is up a considerable amount of money. A "friend" of
sorts tries desperately to convince him to stop, to
take his winnings and leave. "Leave?" says the nearly
silent Mahoney, without any emotion, without any inflection,
"I just got here." This says everything you need to
know about the character and also serves to explain
him to the viewer. Anyone who has ever went to a casino
and been up a goodly sum of money early in their trip
knows exactly what Mahoney is saying here.
But Hoffman's Mahoney doesn't simply
love the thrill of gambling. In fact, he remains nearly
emotionless at all times while playing. He even earns
the nickname "The Iceman" from the casino security
guards. Mahoney is a character who does what he does
simply because he can. But he does so without almost
any other motivation. This is a man without smugness,
without self-importance, without grandiose dreams.
It is an important expositional device that Mahoney
continues to drive the same beat-up, barely running
old Dodge throughout the film. He doesn't go to casinos
for perks or women or booze or fancy dining. Nothing.
He's like a heroin addict who eventually does the
drug not because he is in need of the high but because
it eventually becomes a way of life, because when
he isn't high, he completely disappears.
While Hoffman is amazing here, he
is also supported by some fine actors in the film.
John Hurt gives an outstanding performance as a casino
manager. While I've missed a few of Hurt's more recent
films, I'll venture to say this is his best performance
in a while. Minnie Driver, meanwhile, is nearly unrecognizable
playing Hoffman's co-worker and girlfriend. Donning
blonde wig, huge framed glasses and adopting a Canadian
accent, Driver gives a performance that might be ham-handed
and annoying in a less talented actress' hands.
Director Richard Kwietniowski (who
also directed Hurt in "Love and Death on Long Island")
does a wonderful job of pacing the film and slowly
building to the climactic moment. His use of music
here is also amazing with the film continually accelerating
to its inevitable conclusion with assuredness yet
ease. The climax of the film is truly wonderful with
every little spec in place and the momentum building
perfectly. Kwietniowski and Hoffman understand that
this isn't "Ocean's 11" or some other slick Hollywood
film about thieves and con-men and the like. Rather,
it is a simple story about obsession and myopia that
allows one man to totally destroy his life by his
addiction. Unlike "Auto Focus" or "Requiem for a Dream"
or a hundred other films about addiction, however,
eventually it is quite easy to see ourselves in the
protagonist here. Hoffman makes him very easy to identify
with and, as time goes by, it is through his eyes
and through Kwietniowski's fluid yet controlled filmmaking
that we become totally immersed in the film, the characters
and the story.
"Owning Mahoney" proves yet again
just how amazing and talented Hoffman is. He isn't
destine for greatness, he has already achieved greatness.
Note:
Also with Murray Chaykin and Chris
Collins.
Based on a book by Gary Ross called
"Stung: The Obsession of Brian Molony" which detailed
the incidents.
The real person upon whom the Mahoney
character is based is now a consultant for a firm
that investigates fraud.
Viewed in Austin in June 2003.
