Seemingly ordinary zhlub bank executive Dan Mahowny (superbly played with remarkable restraint and precision by Philip Seymour Hoffman) uses his access to other people's bank accounts to finance his compulsive gambling habit. Mahowny puts himself in great jeopardy when he uses his illegally acquired cash to embark on all or nothing gambling sprees in Atlantic City.

Director Richard Kwietniowski offers a fascinatingly vivid and sordid evocation of a glittery, yet shadowy neon netherworld governed by greed and populated by shady types who are out to make a fast buck by any means necessary. The central character of Dan Mahowny makes for a compelling tragic figure: With his frumpy suits, beat-up jalopy of a car, and forever calm external demeanor, Mahowny clearly only cares about gambling and the thrill of putting it all on the line. Moreover, there's something morbidly arresting (and wickedly funny) about watching this doomed fanatic dig his own grave and jump in it feet first. Maurice Chauvet's exceptionally well constructed script ensures that each and every scene adds up and keeps the narrative moving inexorably towards in unavoidable, but still poignant downbeat ending. While Hoffman clearly dominates the film with his marvelously understated portrayal, he nonetheless receives sterling support from Minnie Driver as Mahowny's loyal, but worried fiancé Belinda, John Hurt as sleazy and amoral casino manager Victor Foss, who's sole concern is bilking Mahowny for every last dime he can get; Maury Chayin as fed-up and irascible bookie Frank Perlin, Ian Tracey as the dogged Detective Ben Lock, Sonja Smits as distraught client Dana Selkirk, and K.C. Collins as friendly bellboy Bernie. Kudos are also in order for the glossy cinematography by Oliver Curtis and the moody jazz score by The Insects and Richard Grassby-Lewis. Highly recommended.

"Owning Mahowny" is a hard film for me to love...much like "Catch Me If You Can" or "The Polka King". This is because all three are true stories about sociopaths who spent much of their lives hurting, stealing and lying to people...and making a movie about them just gives these awful people more notoriety. I certainly would hope they wouldn't benefit financially from the films and I hate to imagine the films making them heroes in the eyes of the viewers....but I fear both are indeed the case for these god-awful people.

This story is about a man who committed the largest single person bank fraud in Canadian history...$10,000,000. The film begins with Mahowny* (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) deeply in dept for gambling...and he soon makes it worse by trying to gamble his way out of the problem. To do this, he is playing fast and loose with the bank's customers as well as creating dummy corporations to help hide this!

A part of the story is about the culpability of the casinos in the embezzlement. The film contends that in many ways the casinos (embodied in the form of a sleazy guy played by John Hurt) should have known that a man making a very modest salary could NOT legally be gambling millions. And, they profited by his repeated trips to Vegas and Atlantic City...so there wasn't a lot of incentive to get him to stop or to alert authorities.

The film features some nice acting and is an understated sort of film...with little glitz despite the locations involved. There also are no big surprises...as the IMDB page talks all about the embezzlement and the film never leads up to it...he's already spending money he doesn't have when the story begins. So there's little in the way of suspense...and the ending was incredibly anti-climactic. Despite this, it's interesting and worth seeing...though far from a must-see.

By the way, the DVD does NOT have closed captions for the hearing impaired.

This is based on a real story that happened in 1980-82. Dan Mahowny (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is the youngest assistant manager of a major bank branch at the heart of Toronto's financial district. Little does anybody know, he has a gambling addiction. He uses his position to steal millions to feed his gambling habit.

This is all about Philip Seymour Hoffman. He is amazing. He isn't just a great co-star. He is the lead. He is the star. And he is compelling. He's been great as the brilliant actor's actor for many years acting beside some of the greats in some great movies. Two years after this, he will win best actor for his own great movie 'Capote'.

The style is strip down. PSH has those 80s glasses. Mostly there is his desperation and his obsession. Minnie Driver goes blonde and I don't really recognize her. Maury Chaykin is great as the bookie.