Owning Mahowny (2003)

A bank manager with: (a) a gambling problem and (b) access to a multimillion dollar account gets into a messy situation. Based on the story of the largest one-man bank fraud in Canadian history.

Director:

Richard Kwietniowski

Writers:

Gary Stephen Ross (book), Maurice Chauvet (screenplay)

Stars:

Philip Seymour Hoffman, Minnie Driver, John Hurt

3 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Philip Seymour Hoffman	...	Dan Mahowny
Minnie Driver	...	Belinda
John Hurt	...	Victor Foss
Maury Chaykin	...	Frank Perlin
Ian Tracey	...	Det. Ben Lock
Sonja Smits	...	Dana Selkirk
K.C. Collins	...	Bernie (as Chris Collins)
Jason Blicker	...	Dave Quinson
Vince Corazza	...	Doug (as Vincent Corazza)
Roger Dunn	...	Bill Gooden
Eric Fink	...	Psychologist
Mike 'Nug' Nahrgang	...	Parking Attendant
Tanya Henley	...	Teller
Brona Brown	...	Teller
Philip Craig	...	Briggs

Storyline

Dan Mahowny (Philip Seymour Hoffman) was a rising star at the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. At twenty-four, he was Assistant Manager of a major branch in the heart of Toronto's financial district. To his colleagues, he was a workaholic. To his customers, he was astute, decisive, and helpful. To his friends, he was a quiet, but humorous man who enjoyed watching sports on television. To his girlfriend, he was shy but engaging. None of them knew the other side of Dan Mahowny, the side that executed the largest single-handed bank fraud in Canadian history, grossing over ten million dollars in eighteen months to feed his gambling obsession.

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Plot Keywords:

gambling | embezzlement | atlantic city new jersey | based on true story | bank | 

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Taglines:

The true story of a mild mannered banker and his magnificent obsession.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some sexuality

Details

Country:

Canada UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 September 2003 (Argentina)

Also Known As:

A Queda de um Jogador

Filming Locations:

Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$33,287, 4 May 2003, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,011,054, 19 October 2003

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alliance Atlantis Communications, Astral Media, Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit (CPTC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie's budget was about ten million dollars, which was also roughly the amount that the real person, on whom Dan Mahowny is based, stole from the bank, for which he worked.

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Goofs

Even though the movie takes place in 1982, the Le Biftheque Steak House restaurant is clearly visible in several of the opening scenes. That restaurant did not open in Toronto until 1999.

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Quotes

Investigator #1: You've got a gambling problem, right?
Dan Mahowny: No...
[chuckles]
Dan Mahowny: No, sir.
Investigator #1: Come on. You didn't get a buzz out of it?
Dan Mahowny: I have a... financial problem. A shortfall.

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Crazy Credits

At the end of the closing credits you'll see the strongroom door from the start again and hear the sound of the ball in a roulette wheel. Rien ne vas plus.

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Connections

Referenced in The Daily Show: Philip Seymour Hoffman (2003)

User Reviews

Unforgettable

I'm not sure that it was a fantastic movie, but it really sticks with me. I gamble quite a bit too, and I regularly see Mahoney-like behaviours at the casino. The guy next to me the other day started with $200, then went up, in my eyes undeservingly, to about $2500, and finally lost it all in a matter of half an hour. The entire time completely without expression, like a gambler, like Mahoney. No matter what happens to a gambler in the short term, he knows that it is ephemeral. Unfortunately, the ephemeral losses are a bit bigger than the ephemeral wins, and the cumulative loss is what you are stuck with in the end.

I liked the way that Mahoney was so boring. As though the things that make life interesting for the average person and the things that make the average person interesting all pale in his eyes to the passionate communion that he has with the game.