Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some rumblings from the Lab.

Persona is one of the regulars of our chat room here at AICN, and she just checked out a film that is currently making its way around the country courtesy of The Shooting Gallery. It's one of this year's best reviewed pictures overall. Since I haven't seen it yet I'll leave you with Persona. Enjoy.

Hey Harry, I just saw a great movie. It's called Croupier. It was made nearly 2 years ago in the UK, but it just opened at my local multiplex. (Very occasionally, they play some limited release films. Very very occasionally.) I'd heard some good things about it, so I was elated to see that it was playing. I know it's limited release, but if it's in your local listings, GO SEE IT! And DEFINITELY rent it when it comes out on video.

So, maybe I should tell you what it's about. (Spoilers are marked)

Croupier stars Clive Owen as Jack Manfred, a novelist struggling to get published. He's half in love with his girlfriend Marion and getting short on cash. He takes a job as a croupier (a.k.a. dealer) in a casino. Apparently Jack has a love-hate relationship with gambling. He never gambles himself, but he's addicted to seeing people lose. Jack's father was an inveterate gambler, so Jack has become the opposite, a croupier. Jack sees himself as above everybody, a detached observer and also on the moral high ground. Jack is scrupulously honest. Or is he?

Jack narrates his thoughts throughout the movie and then begins to read aloud portions of his novel-in-progress. I think this is some of the best use of voiceover since Fight Club (ironically, with another character called Jack).

Clive Owen plays Jack to perfection: a stone-faced observer, who pretends not to care about anything or anybody. But he does, and thanks to the great performance we can see how self-deluded Jack really is about his emotions and motivations. And if they decide to make another James Bond movie, Clive Owen is the man for the job. I'm really not kidding about that. He's got icy-cool nailed. He even looks a bit like a young Sean Connery.

I'd like to avoid spoilers, but also worth mentioning is the performance of Alex Kingston (she played the British doctor on ER) as a femme fatale type. But then she's great in pretty much everything...naked too...(but I digress...)And also worthy of mention is Gina McKee (she played Hugh Grant's paralyzed sister in Notting Hill) as Marion, Jack's girlfriend.

Croupier was directed by Mike Hodges, who earned fame directing the original "Get Carter". (The remake is coming to a theater near you this fall!) I'll just say this: the guy's good.

And the script by Paul Mayersberg is just fabulous. This is a very smart movie. There are some threads left dangling that you will have to think about for a while after you leave the theater. I think this is a good thing. I like smart movies. You may not. If you were confused by Mission: Impossible, this is not the movie for you.

Unlike many movies, Croupier expects the audience to be intelligent enough to figure things out for themselves, instead of having it spelled out. (Though, considering some of the critics' reviews, maybe this wasn't a good thing. Or maybe most critics have sub-par intelligence.) And if you have trouble figuring out the ending, here's a hint...

(SPOILER ALERT)

Just think long and hard about who was really pulling the strings in the scam.

(END SPOILER ALERT)

Croupier is fast becoming my favorite movie this year. I've already seen it twice, and I'll doubtlessly see it again soon. And it's also got the coolest round of poker ever in a movie. Check it out!

Persona, your local chat-room goddess. ;)