Croupier

Aspiring writer Jack Manfred takes a job as a croupier at a local casino to pay the bills. The interview is arranged by his father, a small-time hustler from South Africa, hinting at the family influence behind his choices. He steps into the casino world and begins to sense how the job will pull him away from his writing.

Jack goes drinking with Matt, a croupier who is cheating the casino. The night reveals the seductive and corrupting pull of casino life, as the world of winnings and deceit closes in on him. He starts to see how easily he could be drawn into the criminal underbelly of the business.

Jack begins an affair with Bella, a fellow croupier, violating casino policy. The relationship adds tension and foreshadows harsher consequences as loyalty and honesty are tested. The affair will later come back to haunt him when Bella confronts him.

Marion reads part of Jack's book, which portrays a cold, unfeeling croupier who enjoys gamblers' losses. She feels betrayed by the man she loves, and their relationship begins to crumble. Jack's self-image as a detached observer mirrors his real-life behavior.

Jani, a gambler, befriends Jack and reveals bruises from supposed gambling creditors. She asks Jack to be the inside man for a planned casino robbery. She offers a £10,000 advance, with another £10,000 if the plan succeeds, and Jack notes that the injuries were faked.

Jack agrees to go along with the plan, agreeing to raise the alarm when a gambler cheats so the others can grab the money. He accepts the £10,000 advance and anticipates a further payout if everything goes well. This marks his deeper plunge into criminal activity.

Marion reconciles with Jack but discovers his involvement in something criminal and tries to foil it. She deletes a phone message that would alert him about the robbery and instead notifies a former police colleague. The relationship teeters on the edge as the danger closes in.

On Christmas Eve, the robbers' plan unfolds with Jack used as a distraction while others attempt to seize the money. He is beaten by a gambler as part of the scheme, and the group fails to pull off the heist. The night ends in chaos and moral unraveling.

After the failed heist, Jack and Marion argue, but she remains with him. A late-night knock at the door brings a policeman who informs him that Marion has died in an apparent hit-and-run. The shocking news closes a volatile chapter and drastically alters Jack's trajectory.

Jack finishes his book and it is published anonymously to great acclaim. The success is undeniable, but he does not change his life or habits, continuing to work as a croupier and living in his basement flat. The victory feels hollow against the personal losses and risks he's taken.

Jack receives a call from Jani congratulating him on playing his part in the attempted robbery and implying she benefited. She then puts his father on the line, hinting that he orchestrated the croupier job to set up the crime and profited as well. The web of manipulation tightens around Jack.

Bella enters from the bedroom and kisses Jack, reintroducing a provocative dynamic to the ending. The scene leaves the future open-ended, suggesting that manipulation and desire persist beneath the surface. The film closes on a note of unresolved tension.