5 Screenwriting Lessons – Croupier

Who Wrote It?

Croupier was written by Paul Mayersberg.

How Long is It?

Croupier is 94 minutes long, including credits.

What’s It About?

Croupier follows Jack Manfred (Played by Clive Owen), an aspiring writer seeking to create a successful novel. On the advice of his father, he gets a job as a croupier in a seedy London casino. His experiences provide him with plenty of material, but his relationship with his girlfriend Marion (Played by Gina McKee) comes under strain. Furthermore, Jack gets involved in affairs with two women: the cynical dealer Bella (Played by Kate Hardie), and the mysterious Jani (Played by Alex Kingston), thus violating one of the central rules of the casino – Never talk to the other croupiers or the players.

5 Screenwriting Lessons – Croupier

(The Following May Contain Spoilers)

Get into the Protagonist’s Head – One of the most important aspects of the film is Jack’s Voice-over, which he provides in the third person, as if he were narrating his own story. This serves two purposes. First of all, it sets up Jack’s obsession with writing, as he is aiming to make his narrative seem as dramatic as possible. This sets up the theme of duplicity, as he is hiding his knowledge and observations from the unsuspecting gamblers at the table. Because of this, the audience is left wondering how many secrets Jack conceals, and how relevant these will be to the story. Furthermore, the use of Voice-over also makes the viewer interested in seeing what happens to him. Jack is an aloof character, and needs to be depicted in an accessible manner in order to be worth following. By allowing him a way to communicate with the audience in a manner that retains his introverted personality, but permits an insight into how he really feels, the script succeeds in doing this.

Jack’s desire to craft an appealing narrative is consistent throughout the story. At a party with Jani and his publisher, he offers to deal the cards in a round of poker, and gives everyone an increasingly impressive hand, with Jani winning. From this, it is possible to sense the fact that he has feelings for her, but also that he is interested in the world of the casino because he the thrill of watching the gamblers blow a fortune far more fascinating than anything his publisher wants him to write. This fascination with victory and defeat is the main motivation for his actions at the party. Although Jack ditches the stifling world of publishing in favour of his job on the casino floor at the end of the movie, he retains his fascination with observing the world around him. The fact that Jack is defined by this very common and interesting trait allows him to be a compelling anti-hero.

Simple Things Can be Very Interesting – In the third act, Jack gets himself implicated in a robbery by Jani. She offers to pay him if he provides a distraction on the casino floor. All he needs to do is call out a cheater at his table, which he had done earlier in the movie. The fact that the entire robbery hinges on something that Jack normally does without hesitation increases suspense because the plan is too perfect; it involves attaining large rewards with very little effort. If such a routine action has such significant consequences, then the audience can expect the possibility that something must go wrong. The inevitability that their suspicions will be proven correct encourages them to keep watching, as they want to know what will happen to prevent the plan from working.

Give Characters Unique Personalities – Croupier contains three distinctive female characters, Marion, Bella and Jani. All of them have their personalities developed in a simple and effective manner. Marion is introduced via Voice-over with classical music playing in the background, Bella is first seen undressing in a mirror behind Jack, and Jani is a particularly alluring customer at the tables, standing out due to her expensive look and her confident behaviour. As a result of these vivid and contrasting quirks, this group of characters manage to seem unique and developed in spite of the film’s short runtime.

Jack’s father is also introduced in a manner that conveys his mischievous personality. Whilst Jack is struggling for inspiration, he receives a call from his father recommending that he gets a job at a casino. Jack Sr.’s fast and energetic tone contrasts sharply with Jack’s slow and deliberate style of speaking. The viewer can sense that they are in some sort of conflict, as the two are very different in spite of their family relationship. This generates a number of interesting questions. How did Jack and his father drift so far apart, and will there will be any developments that provide further insight into them? The desire to see these questions answered entices the audience to continue watching.

The Audience Should Be Allowed to Observe Things with the Characters–Initially, Jack is unwilling to take up his father’s job offer, but over the course of the film, he gains an increasing affinity for the world of the casino. His natural ability to function in the casino environment is set up in his first scene there, in which he demonstrates his skills as a croupier. Instantly, he observes that the casino is not replacing chips as often as it should, and passes a test of his dealing skills with flying colours. This shows that he understands the basics of gambling better than the people in charge, and this advantage generates both inspiration for his story and the increasing addiction to the atmosphere of the casino.

Little details can serve to develop characters, but they can also generate suspense. Jani reveals the robbery to Jack in a lavish party in a country house. When she takes him, she has her arm in a cast, and tells Jack that it is because she owes a debt to some mysterious enemies, providing an effective pretext to get Jack involved. The next time we see Jani, her injury has healed. However, a bad bruise which Jack gained in a brawl with a disgruntled gambler remains. The viewer can figure out that Jani was faking her injuries and cannot be trusted. This sets up the intriguing mystery of what her real motivations are, and the prospect of finding these out drives the climax.

Make Your World Unique – One of the most unique features of Croupier is the fact that it is based in London, as opposed to a more traditional gambling location such as Las Vegas or Atlantic City. This allows it to demonstrate a different approach to the subgenre of gambling-based movies, whilst providing truths about that industry which are equally applicable in all casinos everywhere. The wide variety of London scenery is used throughout the film. Key interactions with Bella and Jani take place in Piccadilly, a particularly affluent area of the city. The juxtaposition of the vast spaces there and the drab, confined casino highlights the artifice inherent in the latter location. It relies on extravagance just as much as the expensive London shops, but the casino and its employees do not have the ability to make this seem natural, and, as a result, the seediness and desperation that the place relies on is emphasised instead of concealed.

There is also substantial focus on the life behind the tables. Given the cold and formal manner in which croupiers are expected to conduct themselves, their behaviour once their shift is over is revealing. Many of the dealers frequent a club ran by one of the customers – a clear violation of the rules established at the start of the film. The casino is required to project an image of efficiency and professionalism, in order to encourage patrons to gamble away as much money as possible, and this forces the employees to hide their true personalities. Jack’s ability at doing this allows him to thrive in the casino environment.

Conclusion

Although often regarded as a Thriller due to its neo-noir style, Croupier is closer to a character-based Drama. In spite of its short runtime, it manages to create a cast of characters who are memorable and engaging in spite of their unsympathetic nature, and its focus on the mundane reality of ordinary casinos is unique, generating a number of fascinating insights. There is also a significant attention to detail, with the most ordinary things being depicted in a manner that can grab the audience’s attention and arouse their curiosity. This means that Croupier is worth a watch, as it proves that even the shortest movies can be complex and elaborate without becoming boring or incoherent.