Directed by:
Karel ReiszScreenplay:
James TobackCinematography:
Victor J. KemperComposer:
Jerry FieldingCast:
James Caan, Paul Sorvino, Lauren Hutton, Jacqueline Brookes, Morris Carnovsky, Burt Young, Steven Keats, Vic Tayback, M. Emmet Walsh, James Woods (more)VOD (1)
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James Toback made his screenwriting debut with this taut drama, loosely adapted from the story by Dostoevsky. Axel Freed (James Caan) is an intelligent and well-respected professor of literature at a noted New York university, who uses great writing as a springboard for examining moral and philosophical issues in his class. But when he’s not in front of the chalkboard, Axel has a serious problem - he’s hopelessly addicted to gambling. (Via Vision Entertainment)
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I know quite a lot of gamblers, and I know their psyche. That’s why I don’t consider this film any kind of remarkable feat. I think that even though James Caan delivered a decent acting performance, he failed to portray a true addict. Those look a bit different. But maybe there is a difference between a 1970s American gambler and a Czech gambler of today, one that I cannot tell because I wasn’t yet born in the 1970s and I’ve never been to the US. So it could actually be a decent movie but I’m unable to tell objectively. If I, however, wanted to see a true gambler’s story, I’d go to a local pub where there are dozens of them. If I give them a hundred for the slot machine, they’ll gladly tell me their whole story, even shaking my hand and thanking me for my interest. And that would be something.
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