London: Jack Manfred, a young out-of-work writer, is down on his luck. Ten editors have just refused his first novel, whose main character is a gambler. To make ends meet, his father, a professional gambler, calls him from South Africa and finds him a job as a croupier (hisfirst profession) in a casino. In no time, life with his girlfriend Ma rion, a former policewoman who is now a detective, starts to turn sour. At the casino, he meets Janie Rosenberg, a stunning South African gambler, who is mixed up with a gang of criminals who plan to loot the casino with the help of an informer. Jack accepts to aid and abet, as Janie asks. He begins a new book whose main character is no longer a gambler (his father) but a croupier, in other words himself. Writing becomes an obsession, until Marion dies when hit by a car. �The Croupier� becomes a best-seller, and Jack is rich and famous. But a call from South Africa is set to seal his fate.

Photos

Credits

Directed by

Mike Hodges

Co-writers:

Paul Mayersberg

Produced by

Cie des Phares & Balises, Little Bird, CHANEL FOUR Films, Tat Films, WDR-NRW, La Sept ARTE, Canal +

Technical information

Copyright :

1997

Running time:

90 minutes

Cast :

Clive Owen, Nick Reding, Nicholas Ball, Alexander Morton, Barnaby Kay, Gina McKee, John Radcliffe