I love heist movies and I love gambling movies, so whenever a movie combines the two genres, I am all in. That's why I greatly enjoyed Fast Company, the script by Damian Nieman, which tells the mostly true story of Steve Forte, a con-man prodigy who took millions from the casinos in the 1970s and 1980s. It begins by showing a young Steve learning poker from his father at his weekly house game, then becoming a Vegas dealer, then realizing a lot more money could be made by learning how to mark blackjack cards and switch out the dice during craps play. It definitely has a Goodfellas feel to it, as Steve is the mastermind of a crew of guys who pull elaborate cons during the time that Las Vegas casinos were owned/controlled by the Mob. It also has a tinge of Catch Me If You Can, with a gaming commission agent constantly trying to thwart and arrest Steve and his crew -- with little success.


The script also resonates emotionally. You see, Steve's Dad bailed on the family when he was young. Much later, Steve runs into him at a casino and has to stave off his anger and bitterness. Then there's a touching scene at the end with Steve and his own son that brought tears to my eyes.


Great script, and even better because's it mostly true.

On 2012-04-23 05:44, DNshade wrote:
The hard part and most important is finding the right "Steve" for the lead -- but we're getting there.