Ambition Is like the sea wave, which the more you drink The more you thirst—yea—drink too much, as men Have done on rafts of wreck—it drives you mad. Tennyson:The Cup. Act i. Scene 3.
Jack Abramoff (Kevin Spacey) may be the most notorious lobbyist of all time: The fees he received from tribes with casino interests were in the millions, navigated through Mike Scanlon (Barry Pepper) so as not to violate laws placing limits on those fees for licensed lobbyists. This jaunty docudrama has the boldness of Abromov himself as it uses the actual names of politicians like Tom DeLay (Spencer Garrett) and Bob Nye (Jeff Postil), who ended up indicted for their parts in influence peddling. All the main characters have the names of real players, and while the film claims only to be "inspired" by real events, these characters were found guilty in real life.
Spacey plays Abramoff as a wheeler-dealer who knows he's getting deeper in trouble but can't stop himself. His apparent good deeds for the disadvantaged, such as his schools, couldn't mask the shenanigans he went through to get enough cash to float the good deeds, his two restaurants, and off-shore casinos. All the time his wife (Kelly Preston) is worried because of late notices for the mortgage.
During this time, certain Native Americans are on to his tricks and closing in on his exorbitant fees for uncertain profit to the reservations. In this regard, the story is as you would guess it—the rise and fall of a gifted but flawed lobbyist who couldn't abide by the rules.
Although he appears relatively high-spirited and hopeful in prison, I have a feeling this upbeat ending may not be the way he spent his time. Events only "inspired" I must remember.
Eventually even President Bush, who profited from Abramoff's ability to reap funds for Republican campaigns, would not sign a pardon for him.
Jack Abramoff (Kevin Spacey) may be the most notorious lobbyist of all time: The fees he received from tribes with casino interests were in the millions, navigated through Mike Scanlon (Barry Pepper) so as not to violate laws placing limits on those fees for licensed lobbyists. This jaunty docudrama has the boldness of Abromov himself as it uses the actual names of politicians like Tom DeLay (Spencer Garrett) and Bob Nye (Jeff Postil), who ended up indicted for their parts in influence peddling. All the main characters have the names of real players, and while the film claims only to be "inspired" by real events, these characters were found guilty in real life.
Spacey plays Abramoff as a wheeler-dealer who knows he's getting deeper in trouble but can't stop himself. His apparent good deeds for the disadvantaged, such as his schools, couldn't mask the shenanigans he went through to get enough cash to float the good deeds, his two restaurants, and off-shore casinos. All the time his wife (Kelly Preston) is worried because of late notices for the mortgage.
During this time, certain Native Americans are on to his tricks and closing in on his exorbitant fees for uncertain profit to the reservations. In this regard, the story is as you would guess it—the rise and fall of a gifted but flawed lobbyist who couldn't abide by the rules.
Although he appears relatively high-spirited and hopeful in prison, I have a feeling this upbeat ending may not be the way he spent his time. Events only "inspired" I must remember.
Eventually even President Bush, who profited from Abramoff's ability to reap funds for Republican campaigns, would not sign a pardon for him.