I’ll admit I had high hopes for _Croupier_—a cool, smart British film set in the gritty London of my late teenage years, a city I loved, but that’s since vanished. And to be fair, the plot is clever and hooked me early on. There’s a slick, noir-ish vibe that’s easy to settle into, and Clive Owen absolutely looks the part. But while the script has its flaws, it’s the direction that really lets the film down. The pacing drags, and there’s a cold, clinical detachment to everything, making it almost impossible to connect with any character. You’re kept at arm’s length, which drains the film of ten...