of their advance money. Instead, it is a policeman, who informs him that Marion has been killed in an apparent hit-and-run. Jack finishes his book and gets it published anonymously. It is a big success, but he doesn't change anything about his life, continuing to work as a croupier and live in his basement flat, not even buying the new car he wanted. Jack goes on with his life and gets another call, this one from Jani, who congratulates him on playing his part in the attempted robbery and implies that she benefited significantly. Then she puts his father on the phone, and he implies that he set up the croupier job for Jack in order to arrange for the attempted robbery, and he benefited as well. Stunned but amused, Jack hangs up. Just then, Bella appears from the bedroom and kisses him. Cast Clive Owen as Jack Manfred Kate Hardie as Bella Alex Kingston as Jani de Villiers Gina McKee as Marion Nell Nicholas Ball as Jack Sr. Alexander Morton as David Reynolds Nick Reding as Giles Cremorne Paul Reynolds as Matt Barnaby Kay as Car Dealer Production Croupier was commissioned by FilmFour and had a budget of £3 million. Reception Croupier received a muted response upon its initial release in Britain. It was not until its release in the United States that it received widespread critical praise. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes gave Croupier a 95% positive rating based on 58 reviews, with an average rating of 7.6/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "The writer slumming for human truths and real experience is a common enough story, but this cool-headed and slick thriller provides a gut-churningly compelling backdrop to a look at our darker sides." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 75 out of 100, based on 28 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Roger Ebert gave the film three stars, remarking that the point of the film was not the plot, but the atmosphere and characterization. He also lauded the realistic depiction of the casino itself. Stephen Holden in The New York Times called the movie, "a breezy meditation on life as a game of chance". The film grossed $7,075,068 at the box office. References External links 1998 films 1998 crime drama films 1990s British films 1990s English-language films British crime drama films British neo-noir films Films directed by Mike Hodges Films set