Old School Las Vegas On Screen

There's a scene in the third act of The Cooler, where Shelly Kaplow (Alec Baldwin), the brutal boss of an old school casino, has pinned down the arm of a corporate adversary to the point of breaking. It's the expression of calm intensity on the actor's face, that reveals an animal instinct underneath that should never be provoked. But it's something that his character doesn't resist in breaking the arm of this enemy without so much as a smile.

The Cooler has a series of great performances, but Alec Baldwin is the actor who really shines in his role. As Kaplow, Baldwin's character is a sociopath who keeps himself in check. But despite his old school attitude, gruff voice, and bulky frame, he's a monster in an expensive suit. Shelly inflicts acts of violence so harmful that even on women, cause his own goons to wince and turn away in disgust. But Baldwin's character never rises above his instincts as a monster or as a deeply flawed human being, he's just a man trying to ignore the inevitable before it catches up to him. As played by Baldwin, Shelly is a man losing the war by holding onto a past he sees deteriorating slowly by the day.

The Cooler is the story of Bernie Lootz (William H. Macy), an unlucky in life loser whose sole purpose in life is to be the gambling jinx in an old school Las Vegas casino. The mere touch of a blackjack table instantly "cools down" the luck of a winner by Bernie's hands. But aside from his mysterious effect, Bernie is a man leading an empty life. He's devoid of the excitement Las Vegas gave to him when he was a young man, and now he's just a man getting older by the second whose entire life revolves around bad incidents. Something Bernie merely welcomes like a prisoner awaiting execution. But unfortunately, miserable things happen every day to Bernie, from hearing obnoxious neighbors screw next door, to barely getting cream in his coffee.

However, Bernie's luck changes when he meets a co-worker by the name of Natalie (Maria Bello). No sooner does she seduce this sadsack, that his luck turns and Shelly finds his life turning for the worst. At the same time Bernie's curse is reversed and losers are being turned winners, the bosses are doing a little survey of the Shangri-La casino that Shelly runs. With his job on the line and the inevitability of changing times, Shelly has to show whose boss. It only gets worse when the boss (Arthur Nascarella) brings in an upstart (Ron Livingston), a snooty Harvard MBA with no idea how the underworld works. Of course, he'll be in for quite a surprise.

I've been to Las Vegas, with an emphasis on Fremont street of which The Cooler takes place. It's the old school Las Vegas where the days of Elvis and the Rat Pack ruled. Where it was necessary to wear a suit or a nice dress because that was the style of the day. But one key scene in The Cooler, involves Nicky (Nascarella) beating the bejesus out of an obnoxious tourist. Complaining to Shelly, Nicky simply says the casino of the old days had never allowed someone like that tourist to step in. By tourist, this was a moron dressed in clothes better suited for a trip to Hawaii or Florida. Having seen the Fremont Experience (as it's been dubbed), it's obvious that writer/director Wayne Kramer and his co-writer Frank Hannah wanted to put in a little commentary. One character opines that Las Vegas has become like Disneyland in reference to the Strip, and a place like Fremont has no room for the burgeoning tourist attraction that is Las Vegas. But like the Strip, Fremont has adapted only with a less smoother process. Unlike the glitz, glamour, and impeccable cleanliness of the Strip, Fremont is somewhat dingy, where the presence of a younger, hip audience is an old jockey twiddling away at a slot machine while smoking a cigarette to it's barest filter. The Cooler is a movie that uses this as such a metaphor throughout the entire film, but also tries to create a sort of comeback for Vegas, where it's being re-imagined in the days of the Rat Pack.

What I enjoyed about The Cooler was the way they portray the casino, with the use of soft light in heavy shadows. This is a way of emulating the kind of smoke filled rooms of the Fremont casinos. Another interesting detail is the patrons themselves whom mostly reflect an older audience. The narrative structure of The Cooler tries to change such a thing with the handling of the casino bosses, where Shelly and Larry (Livingston) have conflicting ideas. One of the story's intriguing parts involves a heroin-addled lounger singer (Paul Sorvino), whom Shelly's loyalty is wearing thin due to Larry's controlling interest. Larry wants to change the image of the casino and replace who they can, which he even suggest ridding the casino of Bernie, but Shelly is an old school guy who will have no part of it.

The cast itself is exceptional with the best performance by Baldwin as the volatile Shelly. He's like a ticking time bomb set off only by those who choose to tamper with his patience. Midway through the film, Shelly assaults a pregnant woman (Estella Warren) with surprising results, but what's worse is the act of violence he commits on one man who won too much, whose involved with the woman. Shelly is sociopathic but in a twisted way, he's almost justified for being the monster he is, by the people who try to double cross him. I'm certainly not endorsing the violence he places on women, which is definitely uncalled for, but watching Baldwin act so viciously, makes you fear for those who refuse to cooperate with him. You can only hope they'll try. Shawn Hatosy and Estella Warren appear as a couple with a particular tie to Bernie. They're both fairly good in the roles, as playing young sleazeballs. Hatosy's character hits on Natalie which reveals the kind of scum that he is.

According to William H. Macy, viewers at a film screening in France had commented on how they enjoyed the film, while viewers at an American screening had commented on how Maria Bello looked good in her nude scenes. But Bello's performance is more than skin deep, and she brings out a kind of fragile persona in Natalie who clicks perfectly with the aloof Bernie. The two of them are both damaged souls simply looking for an easier way to live life, as they've both experienced it roughly throughout their entire lives. Ron Livingston was really good at playing Larry, a man whom you'd only want to sucker punch for how much he wants to consume control of the casino. But Larry soon realizes how much he may have to stomach when he absorbs the images of Shelly's physical brutality. Livingston's character is almost a rat who doesn't reveal his teeth until the last part of the film, that will erase any shred of sympathy you'll hold for him before.

As always, the dependable Macy adds another poor schlub to his filmography. But with Bernie, Macy's character doesn't really have an outlined motive for what kind of person he is. In Fargo, the man simply wanted to pay off a debt and cover up a scam from his father. In Magnolia, he was just a guy who wanted to be loved. But in The Cooler, there isn't much to Bernie except a guy whose only motive is to escape Las Vegas with no clear end in sight. But when he meets Natalie, Bernie finds his destiny locked into sight by escaping with her. It's only his relationship with his best friend Shelly, the man who broke his knee years ago over a debt, that is causing the stress in their friendship.

What I disliked in The Cooler, is the sappiness between Bernie and Natalie. Not so much throughout the film, but in the ending when the two characters may very well meet their fate at the end of a handgun. The two simply kiss and embrace each other in their potential final moments that gives in to the deus ex machina tactic of storytelling, when an extraordinary event spins things into perspective. Perhaps it's in tie to the film's theme about luck, or it's just an easy exit. Another method that I found a bit of a drawback revolves around a big showdown, where the idea of a character-driven story conflicts with being a story. The showdown is Bernie gambling on himself and his years of luck to absolve himself of the casino's hands. While understanding the necessity of this scene, it's a scene that calls out for cliche where a character's change hinges on their very existence.

Rather than that, I really enjoyed The Cooler. For those who have been to Las Vegas, or more specifically, Fremont Street may develop more of an appreciation for the film. It's a place you'd have to see in order to understand why I do hold The Cooler in high regard. But other than that, The Cooler is an enjoyable character-driven story that is entertaining, and intriguing enough to make you watch how all these characters interact. Some of the scenes are actually pretty shocking and unexpected, with them being carried out by Shelly. Baldwin's character is like a pit bull tearing away at an attacker and he's never able to resist assaulting anyone who gets in his path that shouldn't. But The Cooler is guided by a good story, stylistic filmmaking, and a talented ensemble.