Part of the problem with the movie is that Kevin Spacey portrays Abramoff as a character who deserves our sympathy.  He often is rattling off different movie lines to people and is pretty likable despite the crimes he is committing.  Barry Pepper, in another great performance to go along with the one that can currently be seen in “True Grit”, is the one who comes off as the scumbag with his portrayal of Abramoff’s partner, Michael Scanlon. 

Hickenlooper gives us some pretty interesting camera angles throughout the movie.  It looks fancy, but feels unnecessary for this story to be told.  He also overuses the music provided by Jonathan Goldsmith.  Every scene does NOT need a dramatic score to go along with it. 

The collective group of actors is one of the saving graces of the movie.  Spacey has already garnered some award nominations for his performance.  Other talent of note is Kelly Preston who plays Abramoff’s wife, Pam and a real fun performance from Jon Lovitz playing Adam Kidan. 

Most people did not see the documentary so no one will have a real base of comparison, but if you are interested in the real story of Abramoff it is worth seeing.  If you are someone who has felt the need to picket in front of Jack Abramoff’s prison holding a sign that reads, “Free Jack” then this could be the movie for you.