Whatever it takes to win

In 1982, one unassuming Canadian man came to represent the all-encompassing greed of the early 1980’s by ingeniously embezzling over $10 million dollars from his employer. Adapted from “Stung”, the bestselling account of this true story, director Richard Kwietniowski’s (LOVE AND DEATH ON LONG ISLAND) OWNING MAHOWNY unravels the fascinating tale of polite, mild mannered Dan Mahowny (Philip Seymour Hoffman, MAGNOLIA), an assistant bank manager with a head for numbers, a knack for making decisions and a devastating appetite for gambling. Steadily climbing the corporate ladders, with Belinda (Minnie Driver, GOOD WILL HUNTING), a loving girlfriend by his side, Dan’s gambling ways seemed motiveless. Rejecting the possible material wealth and glamour afforded by gambling and, instead, betting only for the thrill of it - Dan Mahowny was an addict. When asked to rate the thrill of gambling, Mahowny said “A hundred”. When asked to rate the biggest thrill outside of gambling he said “20, can you live on 20%?”. While the bank flatters itself for having found a wunderkind, Dan is simultaneously nurtured by Victor Foss (John Hurt, THE ELEPHANT MAN), an Atlantic City Casino manager who sees Dan as his chance to run a casino in Las Vegas. Victor caters to Dan in every possible way, from keeping him full of caffeine, to assisting his undetected transfer of cash into the US. Dan becomes the man in a barrel heading toward the falls, the stakes getting higher the longer he stays in. Meticulously shot in sterile, artificial environments, Kwietniowski captures the cold, impersonal worlds of the Casino and the Bank. The core of the film is Philip Seymour Hoffman’s riveting performance as the uncomfortably purposeful Dan. John Hurt delivers his best performance in years as the steely, self-serving casino manager eagerly exploiting another man’s sickness. The odyssey of Dan Mahowny, twenty years after his arrest, is as gripping and timely now as when it happened.

"In the acting department, there's nobody on the current scene with more sheer talent -- or offbeat charisma -- than Philip Seymour Hoffman, in whose bearish body nestles the heart of a lithe and limber artist." – David Sterritt, Christian Science Monitor