By now it’s not news that Kevin Spacey isn’t the nice guy we all thought he was.

Since we covered the anonymous man who accused Spacey of rape when he was 15, more than 30 men have come forward with accusations of sexual assault.

This is why his new (and possibly last) film is as disturbing as it is ironic.

Billionaire Boys Club, which opens in US cinemas on August 17, is the true story of a bunch of rich white boys who develop a get-cash-quick scam in the 80’s.

Things obviously don’t go as planned, with deadly consequences. You can take a look at the trailer here:

Spacey plays a supporting role as Ron Levin, a conman who was killed for real in an 80’s murder case. The Telegraph reports that:

In one scene, “Spacey’s character leers at the adolescent-looking Elgort” while talking about “salami-sized genitals,” according to the film industry journal.

There’s the disturbing part.

Another critic thinks the film is:

…”the last exhalation of a career that’s already dead,” but defended the actor’s performance. “Still, there’s no question about it: Spacey is very good at playing the bad guy,” wrote reviewer Mike LaSalle. “Spacey gives the movie a boost, running roughshod over the other actors”.

There’s a lot of debate amidst the allegations against Spacey as to whether the film should be released at all, but the film’s US distributor, Vertical Entertainment, has:

…urged audiences not to let the allegations against Spacey “tarnish” the film.

“We hope these distressing allegations pertaining to one person’s behavior – that were not publicly known when the film was made almost 2.5 years ago – do not tarnish the release,” the company said in a statement. “We don’t condone sexual harassment on any level and we fully support victims of it.

“At the same time, this is neither an easy nor insensitive decision to release this film in theaters, but we believe in giving the cast, as well as hundreds of crew members who worked hard on the film, the chance to see their final product reach audiences.”

The irony is that the film is a morality tale about people who think they can get away with crime.

I won’t be watching it.

[source: thetelegraph]