One of my all time favorites.

Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Based on the true story of a Canadian bank executive who defrauded millions from his bank through fake loans and cheating clients, 'Owning Mahoney' spins a fascinating portrait of a man smart enough to get ahead in life but constricted by a gambling addiction. Phillip Seymour Hoffman is stunning to watch as the hapless protagonist, so high on the thrill of betting that whenever he has a win, all he wants to do is gamble it away. Even more impressive is John Hurt as unscrupulous Atlantic City casino manager, torn between pitying Hoffman's addiction and admiring his tenacity. While some of the actions that Hurt takes to ensure that Hoffman keeps gambling at his establishment are unethical, Hurt often hesitates, pauses and considers; like Hoffman, he is addicted, only his addiction is to pocketing Hoffman's winnings, and Hurt gives us enough of a glimpse beneath his exterior to show that he has qualms about exploiting Hoffman's endless funds. Some of the technical details here are a little hard to keep track of and Minnie Driver has a very underwritten character as Hoffman's girlfriend who sticks by him thick and thin despite him never once acting romantic; generally speaking though, this is a pretty compelling film when one considers how obvious the film's messages are about the futility of gambling ('house always wins') and the dangers of fraud.

This is a well done true story movie about gambling addiction the fraud on the Canadian bank is secondary. It's not theatrical in the depiction of the gambling and it's quite real life. Phillip Seymour Hoffman gives an understated performance. Sometimes the mumbling can't be understood but the addiction is convincing. It's so understated that it's more believable and painful to watch him give everything back to the house. Minnie Driver with her strange wig is quite a sympathetic girlfriend. The Faustian casino manager played well by John Hurt. Overall worth a watch.

Based on a true story, a bank manager embezzles millions to satisfy his gambling habit. The film jumps right into the gambling scene without any exposition. Hoffman is certainly a fine actor but he's given little to work with here. He gives a rather monotonous performance defined by blank stares, revealing little about his character. Although the focus of the film is Mahoney's gambling addiction, we are given no insight whatsoever as to why he's so addicted. The attraction is not the money, as he would always keep gambling until he lost everything. Despite the goofy blonde wig, Driver turns in a sweet performance as a very understanding girlfriend.

The brilliant Philip Seymour Hoffmann stars as Dan Mahowny in the film "Owning Mahowny", as a bank employee with a serious gambling problem. The film recreates a real incident that occurred in Toronto in the early 1980's when Brian Molony, a bank clerk, embezzled over ten million dollars from his bank over an 18-month period. This character driven film presents the man as a quiet, but dependable employee. What seems less visible is his awkward, but determined drive to gamble. The internal struggle Hoffmann's character goes through when confronted with walking away from the table with a big win in one sequence stands as the core of the film. This is a film about addiction in a less seen arena than drugs or alcohol, but the effects and the enabling seem quite similar. Unfortunately, the film does not fare well beyond Hoffmann's award worthy performance. The story is too flat and at times too uninvolving to be sustained by his performance alone.