The Cooler mixes a stock mobster storyline—the low-level flunky trying desperately to dig his way out before it's too late—with an offbeat metaphysical twist … that the flunky's sole job is to shift his endless bad luck onto lucky gamblers in a seedy Las Vegas casino. Hence the term "cooler," as in "to cool off a hot streak" or whatever the correct gambling lingo is.

Given the cast, which also includes Mario Bello as a cocktail waitress and Alec Baldwin as the old-school casino boss, it's a given the acting is top-notch. Several shots of William H. Macy's nearly-naked body reveal an almost excruciating vulnerability, and his struggle between a fatalistic self-image and the promise of something good with Bello make this a pretty interesting and unique film.

Baldwin in particular proves yet again that he's somethin' else—he's a believable tough-guy with a deep, pretty much crippling sense of nostalgia. Not only does he steal the movie out from under Macy's sad-dog antics, he actually makes you feel sorry for him when he "has to" beat a man's knees to a bloody pulp.

Paul Sorvino turns up in what at first seems like a throwaway role as an aging lounge singer, but has a single, riveting, heart-wrenching scene that explains the theme of the film and clearly establishes the tragedy of this fading world.

The Cooler offers a different spin on the mob/gambling genre, and the love story between Macy and Bello is heartfelt and bittersweet. It's good work all around, perhaps hampered a bit by a location and supporting characters whom we've seen many times before.

I'm mostly grateful that, at last, I can see Maria Bello clutching William H. Macy's balls in cinematic clarity, as opposed to the endless, obsessive watercolors I've done on the subject.

Loud Bassoon rating scale

Review by Crimedog & La Fée