Clive Owen Movie:

		List Price: $59.99		Label: Acorn Media Salesrank: 64603 Released: July 3, 2007
		Our Price: $35.63
		Used Price: $24.95
		MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated) Media: DVD

Editorial Review:
He’s rude, arrogant, ingenious, unprincipled -- and utterly charming.

In the role that led to film stardom in Croupier and an Oscar® nomination in Closer, Clive Owen is simply dazzling as Stephen Crane -- con artist, swindler, and purported savior of a struggling sports car company.

Sacked from an investment bank after one dodgy deal too many, Stephen lands a job at Douglas Motors, a business distinguished by old-fashioned craftsmanship and plagued by decades of familial mismanagement. There he finds himself playing surrogate son to the family patriarch, confidant to the adulterous son-in-law, and lover to the beautiful but willful daughter. All the while, he fends off forays from his erstwhile boss (Leslie Phillips), a deliciously evil banker bent on recovering a bundle of swindled money. But, can Stephen keep his double-dealing past at bay?

In this complete first series, Chancer follows the fortunes of unforgettable characters pulled powerfully by love, sex, money, loyalty -- and, ultimately, identity.

DVD SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE production photo gallery and cast filmographies.

Description of Chancer - Series 1:
Clive Owen burst onto the British culture scene in the neo-noir series Chancer as Stephen Crane, a broody, raffish con man with--wait for it--a heart of gold (that sometimes takes some hunting to find). In the first season of the series, which debuted in 1990, Crane is as fiercely devoted to his friends as he is to using his past skills as a swindler, taking down those more unprincipled than he. The rough-hewn Owen inhabits the role with the ease of a young Robert Mitchum, tossing off bons mots out of the side of his mouth, including a rolling succession of "Crane's Law Rule Number One", such as "Never say die. Unless of course you're already dead--but people are too polite to point it out."

The plots are wildly complex, involving land-use scams, a failing sports-car company, ruthless executives and plucky pals allied against formidable odds. And Crane's personal life is as dodgy--and riveting--as his business deals, with affections being pulled between longtime acquaintance Jo (the splendid British actress Susannah Harker) and his workplace sidekick Victoria (Lynsey Baxter). Through it all, Owen and Crane remain just opaque enough to be a riveting anti-hero--and something delicious for non-British TV fans to discover. The boxed set includes all 13 episodes as well as a rich still-photo gallery and cast filmographies. --A.T. Hurley

Chancer - Series 1 Reviews:
Money, so they say, is the root of all evil today
2008-08-03 - Ted Childs, of Morse and kavanagh Q.C., scores another winner here with his sometimes not so subtle assault on the British establishment in the throes of Margaret Thatcher's permanent revolution unleashed in the City of London via Cecil (Lord) Parkinson's Big Bang reforms.

Britain, for those of you who do not know already, is obsessed with class and class division. The Thatcher years, for all the talk of meritocracy, did nothing to affect real change in the class system but it did allow some people to make a few quid. The reforms in London's financial system, commonly known as the City, pushed out a number of the gentlemen amateurs who, through family lineage, had been at the heart of Britain's financial affairs from before the establishment of the Empire. Starbuck's fans make take heart in the fact that finances played an important part in the establishment of the Empire by many a deal struck in the coffee houses of East London.

Theses amateurs were swept aside by the input of large scale capital from finance companies and overseas investors and many street traders were able to secure positions for themselves in the rough and tumble world of international finance. Chancer is thereby another aspect of Gordon Gecko and Wall Street.

Much more than this is the portrayal of Steven Crane as the Eternal Champion, fighting with any weapon at his disposal using merely his quick wits and intuition in a world of networks of school and club, where a gentleman's word being his bond meant something more than just cementing a deal. This is a dark world of intrigue where money reaches into the darkest world of politics and permeates a netherworld of luxury built on profits, harvested by insider trading within limits and deals involving asset stripping and making many unemployed.

The bigger picture here is one of ruthless forces of unbridled capitalism fuelled by greed and envy sweeping aside years of small and medium enterprises which once made Britain the workshop of the world creating a large scale lumpen proletariat of disconnected workers cowed into submission while others take the profit and run.

Whether the viewers choose to accept such an analysis is largely up to them but this is a very rich narrative, open to many points of perspective. Amidst this Clive Owen stands head and shoulders above the cast although I have a high regard for the character of Jimmy, a real toad if ever there was one, who is the most ruthless and merciless individual beneath his guise of poncified toff from the old school.

Much more is alluded to here within this show but in a way it is an excellent encapsulation of a view of britain held by many in the eighties and nineties. Childs has done a superb job with this show which enhances his curriculum vitae which was already excellent.

Chancer Series 1
2008-07-29 - Very much a product of the 1980's, this tale of the devious world of Banking and business in the UK looks just a little dated now with , for example, the 'cell phones' shown being the size of a brick! The plot revolves around a sly but very likeable Stepen Crane played by Clive Owen in his first starring role and it is he who makes the series very watchable with his limitless guile and charm. If you have experience of the business world you will probably find some of the plot a little far fetched but the characterisation is good and there are excellent performances from the supporting cast some of whom count in the pantheon of Britains finest actors such as Tom Bell, Leslie Phillips and Peter Vaughan. A particular treat for anyone in the US who finds the British way of doing things intriguing.

Chancer is no risk!!
2008-04-02 - I loved this series and it's easy to see the star Clive Owen was destined to be. All the characters are superb, well written, and complex. It is dark and rich like the finest chocolate! Both Chancer 1 and 2 are now available in region 1 for the US and Canada.

Clive Owen is Steven Crane. Crane is a scoundral, but charming and with a big heart. You'll love him as the other characters come to and you'll cheer him on in every scam he thinks of. Even some of the characters you hate, you'll eventually come to love in the ENTIRE series!

I can watch this series over and over again. It really is better than anything America has on prime time or cable!

I recommend it HIGHLY!

`Chancer' Is A Pro of Con
2007-09-30 - For all those of you who loved to cloak and dagger adventures of `Wiseguy' and other underrated shows, `Chancer's is a must see.

Set in the London suburbs in 1990, Steven Crane (Clive Owen) uses his good looks and charm to dash from one scam to another at the expense of his friendships and reputation. Insider trading, real estate fraud, blackmail, smear tactics, bumming cab fair, meals, and housing, it's all in a days work or lack there of. Crane is arrogant, selfish and the worst friend or lover anyone could be cursed with. But he pulls it all off with style to keep the suckers begging for more.

Like `Wiseguy' and similar cloak and dagger shows, the plot is extremely complex involving dozens of characters in a very fast moving plot. Think `Gundam Wing'. Look away for one second and you've missed an epoch.

Here's the plot the best I can (no spoilers). The focal point for conman Crane is Douglas Motors. An apple pie mom and pop family business. The Douglases are having all the classic soap opera problems in a C&D setting, wayward children, adulterous affairs, and the money problems of an honest company in a dishonest business world. Enter Steven Crane whose malicious behavior may be Douglas Motors' worst curse or last hope of salvation. Crane must bail Douglas Motors out of one catastrophic disaster after the other. Is Crane bringing his many powerful enemies to Douglas Motors' door? Or is he the only one capable of holding them off? Only the viewer can decide.

As I said the plot is fast moving taking many turns. There is never a dull day in Crane's life and now the Douglas' too.


"Chancer" is certain to be a popular addition to personal and community library DVD collections.
2007-09-03 - Sacked from an investment bank after one dodgy deal too many, Stephen Crane is a con artist with a dark personal secret who finds himself struggling to save a family sports car company while fending off corporate takeovers by vengeful associates in the elaborate British television production of "Chancer". Award-winning actor Clive Owen stars along with a stellar cast in this totally engaging, flawlessly produced, roller-coaster of a mini-series that is enhanced with original music composed by Grammy-winner Jan Hammer. Love, sex, money, loyalty, and all the elements that make for a brilliant adult soap opera are expertly packaged into a four volume DVD boxed set comprising all thirteen episodes with a total running time of 650 minutes, as well as a production photo galley and cast filmographies. Very highly recommended, "Chancer" is certain to be a popular addition to personal and community library DVD collections.