This movie just got released on DVD and Blu Ray this summer (2012) in Germany. I don't know about the rest of the world (though guessing it must have gotten a theatrical release in America, cast and director alone should stand for that),but this is not only 2 years after it's initial making, but also 2 years after its director past away. RIP George Hickenlooper.

Kevin Spacey excels in a very eccentric role that is based on a real person (events),though I haven't read up on him to say how much or close this is to reality. The "character" does have quite a few inconsistencies throughout (his goals clash somewhat with his intro mirror monologue),but that might make him intriguing. Of course the moral level is always defined by one owns perspective. That doesn't mean it's right or wrong. Or that some of us wouldn't have done the same things if we had the chance.

And that is what the movie is ultimately about. What might seem like a light affair, is actually a deep look into human psyche. It still has a few flaws (not in most of the acting department),but it does work, if you like those sort of movies

'You Don't Know Jack' would have been a good title for this biopic, but that one was already taken for assisted suicide doctor Jack Kevorkian. If you kept up with the news in the mid 2000's, Jack Abramoff had a fairly ubiquitous presence on the front pages of your national newspapers. As depicted in the film, he gained notoriety as a super-lobbyist, particularly when hauled in front of a Senate investigative panel and forced to spill the beans. Kevin Spacey does a nice job in depicting the congressional gun for hire, the go to guy to get special favors done for your special interest group. Wielding influence like it was second nature, watching Abramoff's style of American democracy in action is a genuine eye opener for casual viewers who haven't a clue how some laws are passed. Liberals in particular will take certain delight in the way Republican leaders were brought down by Abramoff's machinations, but I wouldn't carry that too far. The closing credits suggest a thoughtful Abramoff pondering his post-prison life from a jail cell, in which he makes his return to the Hill on behalf of Democratic benefactors. Stay tuned for the sequel.

Jack Abramoff (Kevin Spacey) is brought into the federal holdings. Two years earlier, Michael Scanlon (Barry Pepper) suggests using the Native American dollars and Jack squeezes their need to have a casino. The counsel led by Bernie Sprague (Graham Greene) rejects Jack's offer and he decides to interfere with the local Indian election. He gets a chance to invest in Sunsail Casinos with the help of low class mattress king Adam Kidan (Jon Lovitz). Jack is Jewish and a family man married to Pam (Kelly Preston) who has big dreams of building a private school. Washington Post reporter Susan Schmidt (Ruth Marshall) starts investigating.

Kevin Spacey does a big committed performance and Barry Pepper is pretty good. However, the style of the production is low grade and it relies too much on silliness. The material should be treated with more deadly seriousness. The tone is too light weight and the production is too weak.