Casino Jack and the United States of Money explained

Casino Jack and the United States of Money
Director:	Alex Gibney
Producer:	Bill Banowsky Mark Cuban Benjamin Goldhirsh Jeff Skoll Todd Wagner Diane Weyermann
Music:	David Robbins
Cinematography:	Maryse Alberti
Editing:	Alison Ellwood
Studio:	Jigsaw Productions Participant Media
Distributor:	Magnolia Pictures
Runtime:	118 minutes
Country:	United States
Language:	English
Gross:	$176,865

Casino Jack and the United States of Money is a 2010 documentary film directed by Alex Gibney.

Synopsis

The film focuses on the career of Washington, D.C. lobbyist, businessman, and con man^[1] Jack Abramoff, who was involved in a massive corruption scandal that led to the conviction of himself, two Bush White House officials, Rep. Bob Ney, and nine other lobbyists and congressional staffers. Abramoff was convicted of fraud, conspiracy, and tax evasion in 2006^[2] and of trading expensive gifts, meals and sports trips in exchange for political favors.^[3] As of December 2010 Abramoff has completed his prison sentence.^[4]

Contributors

• Juan Babauta – Governor, CNMI (2002–2006)
• Jim Benedetto – Federal Labor Ombudsman, CNMI (2002-2008)
• Pamela Brown – Former Attorney General, CNMI
• Tom DeLay – U.S. Congressman (R-TX) (1984–2006)
• Nina Easton – Author, Gang of Five
• Peter Fitzgerald – U.S. Senator (R-IL) (1999–2005)
• Thomas Frank – Author, The Wrecking Crew
• David Grosh – Former Rehoboth Beach lifeguard
• Carlos Hisa – Lt. Governor, Tigua Tribe of El Paso, Texas
• Robert G. Kaiser – Author, So Damn Much Money
• Adam Kidan – Former owner, SunCruz Casinos
• Shawn Martin – Reporter, American Press of Lake Charles, Louisiana
• Rep. George Miller (D-CA)
• Bob Ney – U.S. Congressman, (R-OH) (1995–2006)
• Ron Platt – Former Greenberg Traurig lobbyist
• Tom Rodgers – Lobbyist, Carlyle Consulting
• Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA)
• Khaled Saffuri – Public affairs consultant, Meridian Strategies
• Susan Schmidt – Former reporter, The Washington Post
• David Sickey – Vice Chairman, Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana
• Melanie Sloan – Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW)
• Peter Stone – Author,
• Froilan Tenorio – Governor, CNMI (1994–1998)
• Neil Volz – Former Chief of Staff to Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH)
• J. Michael Waller – Director, Institute of World Politics

Reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 83% based on 65 reviews, and an average rating of 7.1/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Casino Jacks subject matter is enraging, but in the hands of director Alex Gibney, it's also well-presented and briskly entertaining."^[5]

External links

• Official website
  • C-SPAN Q&A interview with Alex Gibney about Casino Jack and the United States of Money, June 13, 2010

Notes and References

1. Kojo Nnamdi, Alex Gibney, Bob Ney, Neil Volz "Casino Jack" WAMU-FM April 29, 2010
2. Web site: Forsythe . Michael . Abramoff Pleads Guilty, Will Help in Corruption Probe (Update4) . Bloomberg . 2006-01-03 . 2015-10-16.
3. Web site: Americas | US lobbyist jailed for corruption . BBC News . 2008-09-04 . 2015-10-16.
4. Web site: After prison, the next step . Washingtonpost.com . 2015-10-16.
5. Web site: Casino Jack and the United States of Money (2010) . . . March 16, 2018.