I got the gist of this movie within the first 15 minutes and kept with it hoping it would go somewhere. I'm sure this is a very accurate portrayal of this gambler, but it revealed absolutely nothing about the man. Remorse he expresses later in the film is puzzling and I'm not sure he believes it. I sure don't know what his girlfriend sees in him. God knows it's at best a dreary experience hanging out with him. I don't know if it's the screenplay itself or the director or what. Intriguing performances from Murray Chaykin (always great) and John Hurt. There is an interesting thematic thread of the greed that orbits the central character. In the end however, the redeeming elements were only barely enough to keep me awake to end (if you could even call it that). I love some of Hoffman's work but he's made several of these studies of utter obsession that are punishingly boring. I found it striking that one reviewer called this a dry comedy. I'll have to look up "comedy" in the dictionary and see if perhaps it has an alternate meaning.
Review of Owning Mahowny
