Owning Mahowny - Gambling Addict
Вставка
- Опубліковано 10 лют 2025
- It is main movie scene where Dan Mahowny (Philip Seymour Hoffman) arriving to Atlantic City in big-style (private-jet, Full VIP admission) and after winning 9M $ decide not to stop and continues until didn't lose everything, exactly as kean Casino manager Victor Foss (John Hurt) predicted because "Iceman" never stops.
imdb.com/title/...
I am related with Casino business so I find this scene quite remarkable. I had similar situation many many times....
RIP John Hurt and Philip seymour hoffman. Two of the best actors of our time
John Hurt’s depiction of Satan in this film is excellent.
PSH truly is one of, if not the most talented actors I've ever seen. The man is just pure magic and it's a damn shame his demons got the better of him. RIP brother.
I thought it was John Hurt at first, then was like, nah it's someone else. But yep, when they zoomed in on him, I noticed.
Oh easily
"You wanna know how we're doing? Talk to me at 4 am." The best line in the movie!
100% accurate as well 😅
Devilishly wicked delivery
Phillip Seymour Hoffman's finest hour, and that's from a career spanning many fine hours. Not once does he capitulate to "acting", not once does the viewer have to suspend his/her disbelief that they're witnessing an addict in the throes of self-destruction. It is perhaps the understated performance, the lack of "dramatic" reactions that makes this all the more chilling. You turn every card with this guy, think every desperate thought along with him, and forget you're watching a film - a rare trick for even the best actor to pull off. Great support from Driver and Hurt as well. As for Maury Chakin, no film containing that guy can ever be bad.
Dood job by all I have same problem
Yes, I loved it. Finally found it thanks to yt. It has some nods to Gilda, the noir touch is a really nice element.
So much agree about the lack of dramatic action, like in the movie Mission Impossible where he just sat in the helicopter not moving and not saying a word. The man had a magical appearance.
John Hurt is the most underrated actor in the history of motion pictures.....he is so astonishingly believeable in every role that he plays!...BRAVO MR.HURT!
1984
He's highly rated 😮
“You gotta pick up right now and just walk out.”
Yeah, if only we could just heed that advice.
That's what got the poor young man fired at the end of the clip, lol
Hoffman is just masterful. A tragic story, played to perfection.
At least he got free ribs and a coke.
Without BBQ sauce
And they'll give him half off to the show.
😅
He see's himself - seeing himself lose it all. As he looks down to his chips and the dice, he knows what has to happen...and he still can't stop it.
man..great description
Phillip Seymour Hoffman knew a hell of a lot about addiction, that's why he could play this part so well.
he also does a particularly devastating take on it in Love Liza
Winning as soon as you walk into a gambling house is a gambler's worst nightmare!
Indeed it is 😅
A gambler does not play to win money and to get rich, but to keep on playing. If you have an enemy wish him a gambling addiction.
As a compulsive gambler in recovery this movie is unsettling real
Watched in when I was in rehab and we all felt very unsettled
Just blew my entire savings and then some yet again in vegas. Time to start the days without gambling count back at day 1
@@wilfordbrimleypranks you still at 1?
@@rayhjr72 i'm at like two weeks now, i only gamble a few times a year now. Used to be every week so i'm getting better
@@wilfordbrimleypranks good for you , baby steps. I go too often, I know this. I go there two to three times a month. Dont think i am going to go next weekend but saturday night comes and there I am again at the craps table
Gambling junkies aren’t trying to win.
They are addicted to the thrill of the anticipation of will they win.
We'd rather win.
@@martinsloan9785 nope . The winning and losing is irrelevant. It’s about being in action . If we win it’s great because it means we get to gamble more . If we lose , it sucks because it means we can’t gamble anymore .
@@bryanl3659so why if its about the action doesn't he bet lower for longer? Clearly its about the money and size of the win
@@bryanl3659preach
The conclusion of the book “Addiction by Design “. about designing slot machines to keep people playing. A fascinating book to read. The compulsive gambler wants to stay in the “Zone”,as described above.
RIP, Philip Seymour Hoffman (July 23, 1967 - February 2, 2014).
The very essence of addiction is getting the feeling you want and refusing to stop increasing it even though you know it's going to kill you.
Well-said!
You are missing the point. It's not a matter of life or death, it's about dying sooner or later.
2014!? Has it already been more than a decade? This saddens me for two reasons now.
Too bad he was a drug addict in real life.
In the mind of a gambler:
-if hes up, why stop?
-if hes down ''gotta take that lost back and im leaving''
-if he took his lost back ''why stop? Im even its like i never played''
-if hes up a lot '' i can afford to continue i will stop before i lose too much''
-if hes down some '' damn i was up so much i have to take some back''
The thinking always lead to busting all you have. You u dont have that mind set u wouldnt be in this situation at the first place
not always true. some actually know when to walk away.
The only solution is to win every time and never get into a losing streak.
Literally it. There is no reason to stop ever. You only ever stop out of fatigue, while being up or loosing all there is to lose at the moment. It's insidious, but at the end it boils down to what it is about all adictions.. too much ain't never enough.
@@james---b you know how they know? There is a single way to be up before addiction takes roots.. Take all the money you have and bet it on black or red. That's it. 49.whatever.. That is the best chance you will ever get to getting ahead. Once addiction takes over, there is nothing to win. Look ap addiction in dictionary, before you think it is I'll defined or you never suffered any to actually make you think. ;)
That’s exactly how it works. Might add also “I lost this much last time so I need to make it back this time”
More than "Truman Capote", this was his carreer role: you see his movements & everything in his face, depicts a sick man, a compulsive gambler. Brilliant acting !
It's because gambling simulates the same feeling as fighting for your life, parachuting and conquest...its the only way to feel really good that doesn't involved physical risk.
Well Said , highly sophisticated comment..
Well John, I agree to a point.
However, parachuting, and fighting for one's life does involve a physical risk, as do many other addictions, cliff or mountain climbing, base jumping, surfing in wild weather with waves so high they can kill, alcohol or hard drugs etc!
It's all in the thrill of doing whatever it is that gives one that tingling quiver of a rush!
Everyone is addicted to something, whether it's shop lifting, deliberately being nasty
to other people for no apparent reason, gambling, whatever it takes to get one's rocks off!
you have never had a bookie LOL
@@haboab0216 until you realize that gambling isn’t the only way to “feel really good that doesn’t involved physical risk”
Oh, you mean like jogging or gardening?
RIP. Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Every time I watch this it hits me harder than a freight train at full speed. I was addicted hard at point in my life and was able to arrest my addiction thanks To healthy support system.
It's hard to stop buy it's possible.
My favorite movie of all time. The music was key, not to mention Phillip Seymour Hoffman and the rest of the cast. Totally amazing movie. I could watch it 1000 more times and I expect I will, haha.
I bet you will.
Poor guy, only wanted to win that little game in Hard Eight
Dippy dippy doo
Shaka laka doo baby!
GREAT! to see that the House doesn't ALWAYS win... memories of the fine thespian Phillip Seymour Hoffman (RIP)
No they always win. Its a mathematical fact
@@Ironheart73 fuck the house
@@Ironheart73they always win overall. But that doesn’t mean they always beat every player.
Cult classic in my eyes, most people I talk to never even seen this movie.
Excellent f'ing movie.
I have to admit I've never seen it, but now I want to.
Probably the worst movie I have ever seen, over and over.
Philip Seymour Hoffman (July 23, 1967 - February 2, 2014) lived his life in the darkness, and that's the way he went out.
Naw. Drug addiction isn't like that. Dope makes you feel wonderful. But you can't sustain it. It's so hard to get away from because it works. Dope does it's job.
Is he died
yup. The real name was Brian Molony and in 1981 he stole ("borrowed") $10M from his employer to gamble at the Caesars in Atlantic City and lost it all.
Big Deal. Real bankers lose billions every year.
I discovered this movie by chance. PSH makes this a fantastic movie. At the time, I never heard of the guy. But , that denotes a brilliant actor.
For a banker, this guy should have known the law of large numbers. Which is the reason why Casinos will always win the more you bet. Simply put, it says that the average of the results (in this case betting) will become close to what is statistically expected with more number of trials. Lets say the game is a coin toss. the probability of landing either head or tail is 50%. But it does not mean that if you toss 10 times 5 of them will be heads. If you toss maybe a million times it will get close to that expected probability. Like half a miillion will be either heads or tails. Here now is where the problem lies. You as the player can only bet so much. The house can keep rolling as much as they want because they have the resources to. So eventually the more you bet the more the odds of to their favor and your winning streak will be limited by the parameters of the game itself.
All correct. But tell that to an addict...
Very rare that bankers gamble. They invest. And rarely borrow money.
Plus the vig, house always has a slight edge
I adore the moment at 5:33. At any point in the that small moment of the valet telling Mahowny to cash in they could've cut to Foss' reaction, but and it would've been fine to assume the valet would be fired, but when cut to Foss only after he says "you got em by the balls" it really hits home he is unemployed by the end of the night.
Very subtle choices in cinematography and editing in this film, but it's what makes the story that much better.
This film is such a trembling experience.
Why did he get fired?
@@ishakali8634encouraging a customer up 9 million dollars to walk away is a sure fire way to lose your job as a casino stewart
@@ishakali8634 He was discouraging Mahowny from continuing to play once he was up 9 mill, would have cost John Hurt a ton of money and his job.
I also love that Foss has the self-discipline not to cause a scene or potentially rattle Mahowny by having the valet dragged out of there, he knows Mahowny's addiction is too strong to be stopped
Just an incredible flick. This guy is why I love the movies
When the casino staff is cheering for you...baby you know you made it.S tack them chips baby . Great scene.
"Owning Mahowny" is to gambling addiction what "Requiem for a Dream" is to drug abuse.
Requiem was pretty normal junkie life stuff. Most degenerate gamblers are ever up 9m dollars using 1.5m in stolen bank loans
Now I get it . Thank you
Requiem is what Hollywood thinks being a heroin addict is like.
Great comparison
What Flight is to alcoholism.
absolutely brilliant... made me feel like I was in his world of pain and struggle
Addiction is hard to get rid off -- let it be gambling or working out
hi kavvy
I'm a recovering addict myself, painkillers. I guess we all have our problems. I couldn't walk away from a pill, but would have no problem walking away up 9 million. Addiction is hell.
That is an excellent movie. That scene is insane. The core of addiction laid bare
The core of empty human capitalist broken souls
The cardinal rule is to keep them playing and keep them coming back. The longer they play, the more they lose. In the end, we get it all. - Sam "Ace" Rothstein (Casino 1995)
:D
Casino money is elastic; it always comes back.
His real name was Sam (lefty) Rosenthal.
It’s hard to leave a winner. Win or lose it’s just a matter of how long you play.
So in essence he paid 9 million dollars for ribs and a coke
delish 👌🏼
I live in Las Vegas and play blackjack several times a week, I quit when I am ahead no matter what, Strange thing is when I walk out of the casino a winner I am depressed for what "could have been", it's tough to walk away win or lose.
That's why I don't gamble at all anymore. Too much mental gymnastics I'm mind fkn myself with!
First time I saw Hoffman was his few scenes in Boogie Nights . I thought to myself ,
as an actor , this guy is the genuine article .
greatest actor of the past 30 years.
+Andrew Johnson what about the future 30 years?
probably.
The biggest high is when you win big cause you have money to keep gambling, after that if you lose its OK cause you got plenty to keep going and its usually downhill from there, kinda like Mahowny in this clip.
3:28 to 3:50 is such a great moment in the movie. Mahowny's steering the ship and crushing the casino, and Foss can do nothing but sit back and watch. Foss tries to play it off his enormous stress with a laugh and a smile, and Mahowny shoots back a knowing look that says "You can't fool me. I know exactly how scared you feel."
Mahowny and Foss are two sides of the same coin.
As the scene unfolds, the real truth is revealed. Mahowny has absolutely no control over his fate-- he cannot stop himself from playing. As long as Foss can keep the roadblocks out of Mahowny's way, Foss is in complete control. He knows Mahowny will gamble away endlessly until the house edge inevitably catches up to him.
But I've never understood the significance of Mahowny seeing himself in the crowd...
Great comment by you Russ Shanahan, and in answer to your question....Mahowny sees his better judgment looking back at him.
Fantastic comment. My take is that he sees himself as he normally is, a dour bank clerk, a passive watcher, just one among the other vicarious onlookers, and so he continues to gamble wrecklessly in order to feel special, and momentarily his normal self dissappears....
At that moment he's living an out of body experience. But who is he, the watcher or the doer.....he forges on.
@@afzals2007Yes. In the same way we see the police escorting him in an echo of the police escort of the Chinese businessman at his first casino trip-there is a similar shot of him as an onlooker in that scenario. It captures both that sense of “nobodiness” he felt then as well as his paranoia of active addiction.
The music just feels like drugs and being up too late
Criterion should grab this movie.
I've always been curious about the scene at 6:03 and what it represents. In my opinion, it displays Mahowny's realization that he has the opportunity to go back to his "normal" self, that is, the person he was prior to this massive downward spiral of degeneracy. Notice when he has a hallucination, he's back in the crowd when he witnessed the high-roller asian gentleman was rolling in earlier parts of the film, now Mahowny has replaced him as the high-roller. He receives the same exceptional service by the security, and the same greeting by the host in the high-limit room.
@MTD 76 What it represents is that he knows he doesn't belong. He shouldn't be the guy winning, and the guy in the center of attention. He's realized he's not in fact a big shot but only someone who's "on the outside looking in". With this realization he starts to lose and go on extreme tilt until it's all gone.
Maybe, although I find it hard to believe he could really go back. Even with the money there's an extremely suspicious paper trail and federal cops and auditors sniffing around already
This is such a good movie, made Ebert's top 10 movies for 2003
This film captures the essence of the drug called "ACTION"...and every true degenerate gambler out there knows it's true!
His second-best rendition of being destroyed by addiction
The man died on super bowl Sunday 2014. How sad, I liked him as an actor
a great movie wish I had his luck !!!
Most wouldn’t even notice the racks. The average gambler would say “IRL he would just have higher chips!” But the degen knows that if you ask for racks for good luck, and you bet that big, they’ll give you any denomination that you want.
I understood gambling when my son told me:”You don’t play to win, you play to lose” he is right, we tend to play until we lose all the money”
i heard once you are addicted win and losing are both rushes, or the zone is the rush. point being evening losing millions they still get high, pretty wild.
bassbuckmaster I have met a good handful of high rollers, and they all so different from each other
*_Paul of RRSYS (UK)_*
yes, winning and losing has very little to do with the physiological response and high that comes with gambling.
For some it's not winning or losing , it's the chase plain and simple, for me if I walk in with 50 and walk out with even just 51 that's still a good run for me
As with nicotine, the key is not to start.
I know his pain trust me
Wow 17 years ago. Just saw this recently on a free streaming channel. A really good movie, especially if you gamble.
The best part was him actually winning all of his losses where he could have walked out on top. But like a typical gambler, he couldn't stop until it was all gone. So typical.
my heart hurts
That chuckle at 3:46 is subtle yet perfect
5:15 was one of the best scenes ever... great acting
Phillip Seymour Hoffman ??
it is impossible to find any of his movies to rent on netflix. such a tremendous talent, and gone far too soon. i will miss you, phillip seymour hoffman xxoo
In Canada twister and scent of a woman is on netflix
@headmark915 Mahoney had won 9 million but had already stolen 11 million. A gambler also never leaves with money in his pocket. It is our creed.
5:20 - 5:45 is the perfect depiction of the gambling addict! Up so much, but no, can't leave, just got there! Got to have MORE! This is my second favorite movie about the true highs, lows, rush, and addiction of gambling. The Canadian film "Luck" (2003) is my favorite, and I'm an American.
This video has some of the oldest comments I've seen on UA-cam. I have come to visit you 14 years later.
@@mith2946 16 for me .
John Hurt was an ice cold fucker in this movie.
Like eating food will stop a problem gambler. LOL!
GoldGramophoneMedia its just one of THE HOUSE'S weapons...
The ultimate weapon of the casino is the player's own greed and weakness.
GoldGramophoneMedia I dunno what I saw in this film I could/would N-E-V-E-R comprend. Penny slots, big spender that I YAM, yet still get lots & lots of offers down here on the Biloxi Gulf Coast.
Some people are sickos...
RIP Buddy - great stuff - always
It was a extremely dangerous gambling addiction
The sad part is, I've legitimately seen this same scenario unfold many times in real life on the forums pertaining to stock/options trading. I've lost count the number of huge cocked golden stallion maniacs I've seen turn 10/20K into *millions* and not stop, playing damn near every penny of it back. It's no joke.
I quit blackjack over 2 yrs ago. So glad i havent been back.
I love this movie
CUTIE PIE BARKLEY I have never seen it before but gonna give it a watch see how weLl reenacted it actually is.
*_Paul of RRSYS (UK)_*
Funny story, i fell asleep at the end of this movie, and woke up to the beggining of "before the devil knows your dead" without realizing it was a different movie, so i thought the movie ended with him robbing a jewlery store and getting shot lmao
What a different world we used to live in. Defrauded his Canadian employer to the tune of millions in the 80's and gets a relative slap on the wrist.
Great movie, great performance from the late SPH. One of the finest movies about gambling addiction.
one of the most under rated movies ever. i hate movies like two for the money where the gambler wins at the end because ultimately the gambler always loses and thats how the story should end.
I love how he goes big with everything, private jet etc. Anything worth doing...
Epic movie. Epic actor. We will miss you Mahoney.
1774, I think you're talking about Bacarrat.
Mahowny takes the cards out the shoe. They are distributed to Banker/Dealer, and play proceeds from there.
It's interesting to watch how he's playing with no enjoyment. Just deals the cards and flips them. Grabs the dice and throws them. There's no joy anymore. Just pure detachment.
The design of baccarat is smart...the only game where you can deal the shoe. It doesn't matter, the odds are against you no matter what...but to allow players to do that gives them a false sense of control. You can never beat math...unless you cheat.
7:32 : When the crowd slowly starts walking away.. They KNOW they are in the process of watching a car wreck, and it's just too uncomfortable to keep looking.
True story - when the real Molony was serving time, he would play monopoly with some of the cons. He got along well, but they would never let him be banker.
A business doesn’t notice 10 million missing ?
Not CIBC, and not over a period of several years. He was forging actual and fake business loans at the same time and pushing it all through a California clearing-house company specifically designed to launder money.
You keep on gambling you end up losing
I just lost again and started rambling through youtube and it brought me here, is this fate ? I'm already f-ked.
He sure Arrives in VIP
Mode
So the poster of this video says he was a part of what intelligent know as a scam.
Exactly 👍
"I was UP nine million dollars. Next thing you know im begging for sauceless ribs from a mob boss"
What is that Lincoln limo, a 69? Damn that’s a lot of steel rolling down the road. Straight too.
John Hurt is so great - total shyster knowing how to manipulate a compulsive gambler to the max
" what am I going to do, go to the track and just watch "?
The Casino should have banned this man. Even though he was too helpless to ban himself this level of addiction is sick.
The casino boss knew exactly who he was, ie a guy making 20k a year and gambling for millions. Why the hell would they ban him? This wasn't about ethics, but profit
Where we trying to kid? Casinos love addicts. As with all vices, the real profits are from those who become addicted. Sure the cops will eventually throw the embezzler in jail, but the casino still gets to keep the money.
Casinos want the problem gamblers. They make up most of their revenue
@@edbrown4218 in the Mahoney case they got fined. They could have lost their license
It wouldn't be the New Jersey State police investigating it would be the New Jersey Gaming Control Board Investigating.
9:40 every gambler knows that vacuum sound
This was THEE scene ! Thee most unassuming guy
It's An Honor,..
I hear you're not An Alien to losing 🤗
... ive said to much 🙄
bro i believe him. what an actor
i hate to say it, but im one of these addicts. i feel your pain dan.
5:45 in real life the guy telling him to take his money and walk away, isn’t really there. He is a figment of his imagination. This happens to all gambling addicts at some point
my factor will call upon your grace's factor
This movie is so fantastic
...."after winning $9M decided not to stop and continues until didn't lose everything" make it make sense.
god bless u son u will be missed
Thank god I turned out to be a normal, boring alcoholic. Gambling is one vice I have never had any desire for.
BRILLIANT acting!
The scriptwriters have him betting way above his bankroll. A common rule-of-thumb is to bring 80 bets to the table for a decent-length session. (you have to be able to ride out a downswing). So if he was, in fact, betting 70k/hand, that would imply a session bankroll of 5.6 mil.