Compulsive gamblers may be able to identify with the plight of John Aligheiri. Steve Buscemi (Fargo) nails this character down pat as a guy who by day works at an insurance firm. Shown in flashback form we learn early on that John has a problem with gambling. Director Hue Rhodes did good research to fully flesh out the deep difficulties our John faces. Lady luck may once have been with this bundle of energy but time has not been too kind to our downtrodden protagonist.
Fresh Face Romany Malco Strong And Impressive as Hired Gun On A Mission
Being an employee means doing what you’re told and John takes his marching orders from insurance owner Mr. Townsend. Peter Dinklage (Underdog) shows lots of poise and versatility as the boss who’s willing to go that extra distance to advance his employees. To move up the corporate ladder John agrees to accompany another worker, Virgil, on a special assignment. Brawn and menace ooze out of every pore of Romany Malco’s (Blades of Glory) body who says very little but has a menacing presence that kind of makes people conform to this wishes. Together these two mismatched employees work as a very odd and intriguing pair who will always keep you amused.
Sarah Silverman Surprises As A Perky Clerk Whose Saucy And Funny
Comedienne Sarah Silverman (Rent) shares lots of screen time with her phone alongside some of the men in the office in this rather short movie but doesn’t really have much of an opportunity to stretch her considerable talents. Much of this office work is fairly routine which we’ve seen before. Still her presence is welcome. and she tactfully juggles the men in her life in a fun, frivolous way in what otherwise would have been a pretty dull role.
Dark in tone, Saint John of Las Vegas ably demonstrates the spiral of despair a gambler may face. Buscemi is always good and engaging in any movie he takes on but here he’s let down by a rather flat script that doesn’t have that much punch to it. Some scenes are interesting but by and large this film is quite obscure, off the wall, and suffers from really not highlighting the glitz and glamour of Vegas and instead just shows a few scenes showing actual gambling. Focus here is on small games of chance with not too many payoffs leads to boredom and despair. Kind of like the plight of the people in this film.
Robert Waldman - Hi. I'm a film critic from Vancouver, British Columbia Canada, considered to be the number one city in the world and third largest film ...
