Addiction: Gambling What To Say: A fool and their money are easily parted What Not To Say: Bet you can't quit quit gambling Toronto bank manager and gambling addict Dan Mahowny, protagonist in Richard Kwietniowskis film, is played by the late Philip Seymour Hoffman in one of his first-ever leading roles. His performance in Owning Mahowny serves as a reminder of why he is regarded as one of the greatest actors of his generation. Owning Mahowny is based on the true story of Brian Molony, a bank employee who embezzled over $10 million in just 18 months. Hoffmans brilliant performance captures the idiosyncrasies and obsessions of a man who is heading straight into oblivion but is powerless to stop it because, ultimately, he just doesn't want to. Hoffmans performance is, as we've become used to over the years, a master class in implosion without ever seeking the audiences sympathy. His Mahowny is a man who can find nothing exciting about life outside of gambling. He willfully falls down the gambling rabbit-hole with abandon, thoughtless to the consequences of his actions and caught in the snare of lady luck. The obsession and compulsion of Mahowny is evident throughout the film as his addiction causes a catastrophic domino effect on his life. Hoffmans portrayal is the antithesis of the usual Hollywood story about gambling; there is no glamour or allure. There are no fast cars and loose women. There is just the addiction and the man behind it.
