Overview
A writer's journey through the high-stakes world of gambling leads to unexpected revelations.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- cool
- sardonic
- paranoid
- late night viewing
- neo-noir marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film’s cool neo-noir atmosphere, realistic casino detail, and Clive Owen’s controlled performance, while treating its plot as secondary to mood and characterization.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Jack uses his experiences dealing at the casino as the basis for a novel while his own life becomes entangled with the same world.
Jack’s cool, disciplined croupier persona governs his interactions and keeps both the casino and its people at an analytical remove.
Roulette, gambling behavior, and Jack’s increasingly risky decisions create a fatalistic structure around chance and control.
The London casino functions as an enclosed world of dealers, gamblers, schemes, surveillance, and coded professional behavior.
Films like Croupier, and why
The Grifters
shared neo-noir atmosphere, morally detached protagonist, and crime-world intrigue
The Cooler
shared gambling milieu, cool visual style, and characters navigating risky criminal schemes
Layer Cake
shared british neo-noir tone, urban alienation, and crime-driven character study
The Gambler
shared gambling setting, fatalistic mood, and meditation on chance and self-destruction
Movie Details
- Director
- Mike Hodges
- Release Date
- 1998-06-25
- Runtime
- 94 min
- Rating
- 6.7 / 10 (339)
Cast
- Clive Owen
- Kate Hardie
- Alex Kingston
- Gina McKee
- Nicholas Ball
- Alexander Morton
- Paul Reynolds
- Nick Reding
- Barnaby Kay
- Rhona Mitra
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Croupier about?
- A struggling writer finds his perfect subject behind a London casino table, only to discover that observing the underworld can pull him inside it.
- What is Croupier like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Croupier as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Croupier violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Croupier as mild.
- What did critics think of Croupier?
- Critics broadly praised the film’s cool neo-noir atmosphere, realistic casino detail, and Clive Owen’s controlled performance, while treating its plot as secondary to mood and characterization.
- Which films are like Croupier?
- Films with a similar feel include The Grifters, The Cooler, Layer Cake, and The Gambler.
- How long is Croupier?
- Croupier runs 94 minutes.
- Where can I watch Croupier?
- In United States, Croupier streams on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
