Owning Mahowny

Genre: psychological drama
Director: Richard Kwietniowski
Release: 2003
Studio: Alliance Atlantis et al. - Sony Pictures Classics
Rating: R
MBiS score: 8.1/10


Make or Break


Dan Mahowny (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is a consummate money man. By day, he orchestrates brilliant financial manoeuvres for his bank. By night, he loves going to the track to bet on horse races. How does he manage all of this action? To find out, you will need to see the movie. With Minnie Driver (Belinda, Dan’s girlfriend), Maury Chaykin (Frank Perlin), John Hurt (Victor Foss), Sonja Smits (Dana Selkirk) and Chris Collins (Bernie).

OWNING MAHOWNY, which is based on real-life events, establishes its central theme early on and sticks to it. By warning you in its very first frames that people have « a public life, a private life and a secret life », it proffers a clear and inescapable statement about Dan’s personality and the events about to unfold. You can easily guess that Dan has a secret – or should I say a habit – one of those treacherous and irresistible cravings that permeate men’s lives and destroy them totally if left unchecked. Richard Kwietniowski’s film thus explores Dan’s habit in a methodical and non-judgmental way, without any real surprise, clever twist or deus ex machina, leaving the viewer to answer its pivotal question: why is this man attracted to Lady Luck?

Although a lot of money is involved in OWNING MAHOWNY and flashed about in the glitziest of places, the film itself is a low-budget affair that mirrors its main character’s serious, no-frills approach to life. Its modest production values may put you off at first but don’t even think of bailing out for you will miss a flawless, slow-burning drama that delivers handsomely as our banker’s habit gets more entrenched. Despite its predictability, Dan’s story is quite riveting and its tension will weigh on you like a wager on your life. The movie’s success also rests on a solid cast led by a remarkable Philip Seymour Hoffman (before CAPOTE) and John Hurt, whose courteousness cannot hide a predatory bent.

Trust me, this little movie will stay with you for a long time. What more can a cinephile ask for?


MBiS

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