Borserie
it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.
AshUnow
This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.
TheBlueHairedLawyer
Fans of films like 'Requiem for a Dream' will love this one. The Last Casino paints a somewhat unrealistic dream that everyone who's ever been through college has had. Like those dreams, we get a glamorized view of the world of gambling as seen through the eyes of three math students struggling to get by with their tuition payments and studies. Meanwhile we have our antagonist, Professor Barnes, who is secretly blowing tons of money at the local racetrack, and a shady investor, the usurer by the name of Mr. Orr. This wonderful and complex mix of characters are coupled with sleek soundtrack and stunning visuals that come alive right on the screen.I love how each character has their flaws, but there's no real "bad guy", and they all have a side that you'd never expect, from George being pretty badass despite his chubby computer geek appearance, to Mr. Orr actually having no intention of hurting the three kids, instead finding them more amusing than anything else (his hairstyle is pretty amusing too, but that's another story). I was pretty disgusted with Barnes, who scams the investor and the kids out of thousands of dollars and has a serious addiction problem, but even he's not all bad, and he has his demons weighing him down. There's even a little romance towards the end, and though I don't usually like sappy romantic scenes, Katharine Isabelle and Albert Chung bring their roles to life and make their characters feel real.The film gets dark and gritty very fast, diving into the underworld of Canadian gaming, but its optimistic, hopeful ending is the tour de force that really seals the deal. The Last Casino has great acting, excellent cinematography and a compelling plot, and it's one you'll never forget.
jonathanruano
Before "21" came along, there was Pierre Gill's "The Last Casino," which is about Professor Barnes (played very well by Charles Martin Smith) creating his own card counting team to win a huge fortune in Canada's major casinos -- and, oh yes, Barnes also needs the money to pay off his booky Mr. Orr who has his own peculiar way of ensuring the prompt repayment of outstanding debts. "The Last Casino" has half the glitz and thrills of "21"; it even had to do without Kevin Spacey, Lawrence Fishburne and Rihanna's single "Shut up and drive." Yet, it was so much better and far more original than "21" ever was. Many factors contribute to making this under-appreciated film a jewel. To begin with, you can tell the writer Steven Westren put a lot of thought into his screenplay. He created original characters, including the ones that only had small parts. He put the protagonists -- essentially the team of card counters, Elyse (Katherine Isabelle), Scott (Kris Lemche) and George (Albert Chung) -- in the kinds of situations you (or I) would never expect in a film like this. But most importantly, Pierre Gill and Steven Westren succeeded in filling the scenes at the gambling table with tension and thereby conjured up the feelings and impulses of the people who were prepared to put tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars on the table on a single bet. I also appreciated the surprise at the end of the film, which is so cleverly done that it may leave many of the viewers scratching their heads.The other factor that makes this film great are the performances. Charles Martin Smith does a great job as the professor whose deep in debt, because his gambling via card counting finally got the best of him. Katherine Isabelle puts in a good performance as Elyse, as does Kris Lemche and Albert Chung as her companions so that, by the end, we (as an audience) are able to sympathize with all of them. But the one person who almost steals the show in this movie is Julian Richings whose performance as Mr. Orr must go down in the history books as one of the best (if not the best) villain roles in recent times.
ChaosEngine
Even by Canadian movie making standards this movie is absolutely horrible. The casino sets were very badly done, I've seen better casinos at stags set up in banquet halls. I will throw a positive in here though, the loan shark's hairdo, positively hilarious! Now, the leads were passable but the movie is so horribly written there really wasn't a lot they could do with it. The real crime was the supporting cast, welcome to the only casino on the planet where they openly laugh at you when you lose playing blackjack, and I want to make special mention of the hotel security, about as threatening as a school guidance counselor giving you a scolding. If you do somehow have your converter go on the fritz and you simply must watch this, have a copy of Casino, or The Gambler with James Caan, or even Rounders handy. You can use them sort of like casino anti-venom to get this out of your system. One reviewer did however hit the nail on the head, he/she mentioned this is one of Canada's best movies, can't argue with that statement. At the time of this review the other reviewers had written exactly one review each, all about this movie, all glowing reviews! I wouldn't suggest cast and/or crew, but you could.
Beautiful_Disaster
Usually, Canada is known for it's movies with heart and feeling, but lacking in entertainment. Now that many companies are coming up north to film, it seems Canada is making some great movies on their own with The Last Casino.The premise of the movie is provocative, and the writing is genius. The Last Casino was both entertaining and credible. There are specifics to this movie, where it is apparent that a lot of thought and effort was put into the plot.I loved the suspense and closeness that was created through the types of shots the director used.I suggest that everyone try to see this movie (it not widely available), and as Canadians we should be proud this is one of our products.
