Director Wayne Kramer took on quite a venture when he made his 2003 effort, “The Cooler.” Why? Because it was released just eight years after Martin Scorsese’s “Casino” — the greatest film ever made about mob corruption in the Las Vegas casino industry. In fact, some critics dismissed “The Cooler” as too predictable and felt it overly mined some of the same territory as “Casino.” I disagree. In a comparatively weak year for Hollywood, “The Cooler” was my favorite picture of 2003. Rather than “Casino,” I prefer to equate “The Cooler” with David Lynch’s 1986 masterpiece, “Blue Velvet,” in that a dark underworld brews beneath the surface of an otherwise innocuous setting.
Buried Treasures: The Cooler
Buried Treasures: The Cooler
Buried Treasures: The Cooler
Director Wayne Kramer took on quite a venture when he made his 2003 effort, “The Cooler.” Why? Because it was released just eight years after Martin Scorsese’s “Casino” — the greatest film ever made about mob corruption in the Las Vegas casino industry. In fact, some critics dismissed “The Cooler” as too predictable and felt it overly mined some of the same territory as “Casino.” I disagree. In a comparatively weak year for Hollywood, “The Cooler” was my favorite picture of 2003. Rather than “Casino,” I prefer to equate “The Cooler” with David Lynch’s 1986 masterpiece, “Blue Velvet,” in that a dark underworld brews beneath the surface of an otherwise innocuous setting.