Rounders

Rating:
Summary: Intelligent, psychological movie
Review: Plenty has been said about "Rounders" authenticity, and I won't further run that into the ground here. I will add that this simplest point they make is in Matt Damon's last ditch chance to save his relationship. Poker is not a game of luck. If you accept that it is a game of skill and how you play matters more than the cards you get, then you can appreciate the truth of the film.

"Rounders" is more interesting when examined from the perspective of Matt Damon's character, who has two balls in the air and can only catch one. He must choose between his "legitimate" life as a hard working law student with a good relationship, or his "underground" life as a Rounder. He is geniunely torn by his loyalty to all his girlfriend and his friend Murphy (aka Worm, played by talented Ed Norton). It is fascinating to watch the conflict unfold, and that is truly what makes the movie more than just a realistic, intense gambler flick.

Rating:
Summary: Let The Chips Fall Where They May...
Review: A game of poker has never been so interesting. Matt Damon heads an attractive and stimulating cast as a proletarian poker player and struggling law student who has been at the highs and lows of the grind and holds the clandestine key to a player's most valuable strategies. However, his knowledge comes with a hefty price - $30,000. Before Mike McDermott (Damon) walks out the door after looting his own apartment for stacks of cash in the beginning of the movie, we hear a voiceover of him saying bluntly: 'Listen, if you can't spot the sucker in your first half hour at the table, then YOU ARE the sucker.' Mike should heed his own advice a little better, as we see from what is about to transpire. He arrives at a basement complex shrouded in secrecy and regulated by Teddy KGB (Malkovich), a card shark with a yen for Oreo cookies and ties to the Russian mob. It is here that he takes a seat for a couple of hours at the 'Mad Russian's' table and walks away completely penniless, not to mention utterly aghast that he has lost every bit of his college tuition. Not only is he immediately disciplined about controlling his gambling itch, but he also replaces his poker salary with an honest minimum wage job driving a delivery truck for veteran rounder Joey Knish (Turturro).

Time passes and we see that Mike and his girlfriend Jo (Mol) are getting by reasonably in their airy city apartment. An old friend of Mike' s named Worm (Norton) has just finished serving time in an upstate penitentiary. As soon as Worm hops into Mike's Jeep on the day of his release, he is dazzling him with his tricks and trade, cajoling his friend back into the grind. He hounds him about getting reacquainted with the four suits and later in the evening, they make a pit stop at a fraternity house to play cards with some swaggering pledges - Mike's fever promptly returns. What Worm doesn't bother to tell Mike is that he is acutely in debt to higher powers, one of them a weasel named Grama (Rispoli). Grama negotiates with KGB and his cohorts, buying Worm's debt and consolidating it to a mammoth I.O.U. It is at this point that Mike finds himself caught in the sling with Worm and the only way out is to do what he knows best - the restless routine of a rounder.

Matt Damon is entertaining as the cocksure Mike McDermott, a man with few inhibitions and a lust for Vegas' lights and luxury. Edward Norton fits his character to a tee, and it's easy to see why the name 'Worm' is such an appropriate soubriquet. Norton's accustomed to playing sardonic reprobates (American History X) and calls his character 'a philosophical cheat', adding his own touches (including the tattoo of an Ace on his forearm). As Worm, he is equally scornful (minus the rigid political agenda) and a lot of fun to watch. Funny to think that Damon and Norton finally came tete-a-tete - both of them auditioned for the same roles for 'The People Vs. Larry Flynt' in 1996 and 'The Rainmaker' the following year. Damon prevailed as Rudy Baylor and Norton completed arrested the role of Alan Isaacman, each of them wisely cast. Here they make a splendid team, each dusting off the other when it suits and rarely competing with the other's screen time.

Gretchen Mol barely has anything to do here except look upset every time Mike breaks his promise. John Turturro plays his Joey Knish with suave subtlety and John Malkovich is a travesty as the Russian mobster Teddy KGB - his Slavic accent is so off the mark that it's embarrassing. Martin Landau is always a pleasure to watch and makes quite an impression as Abe Petrovsky, an astute college professor. He fashions himself as a sort of father figure to Mike, offering a piece of his wide medley of wisdom when it requires. Famke Janssen is merely an ornament for scenery, but an attractive one at the least. Michael Rispoli has been cast many times over in smaller and insignificant roles but finally gets a little more light shed on him as the loathed Grama. Director John Dahl and screenwriters Brian Koppelman and David Levien researched their story well, frequenting poker clubs in New York themselves and in accompaniment with Damon and Norton. Even two-time World Series Poker Champion Johnny Chan is impressed with the film's authenticity, making a brief cameo as himself.

'Rounders' has a lot to offer, not only for its talented cast but also for its intriguing presentation of a game few people comprehend and many underestimate. It will definitely leave a twinkle in the eyes of those who harbor dreams of holding Vegas' gambling scene in the palm of their hand.

Rating:
Summary: No idea how to play poker - my review. :o)
Review: I saw all the reviews up talking about how a poker player couldn't relate, then had to throw in my two cents.

As a 21 year old female that's never gambled or even thought about gambling, they would have you believe I would have no clue what this movie was about or what direction it was taking - wrong.

This movie isn't just for the experienced poker, although I'd imagine they would enjoy it a great deal more than the average joe like myself. From the reviews, I suppose I'm wrong. Personally, I was entertained completely & sad to see the movie end.

Ya see, this story isn't just about poker, it's also about a friendship between two men, one of which isn't always doing the best that he can for the relationship. If ya've ever had one of "those" friends that was always messing up, so ya had to bail 'em out..you'll relate to, & more than likely enjoy, this movie.

From a non-poker player - one of Matt Damon & Edward Norton's films to date. Everyone can relate some way to the film & I'm sure everyone can enjoy. This is a classic storyline & a wonderful film - it's my all time favorite film.

Rating:
Summary: very good
Review: I didnt care all that much for this film when i first saw it. However, to me it is one of those films that improves with memory. The whole cast is excellent, although John Malkovich's Russian accent is very suspect. I'm surprised nobody has taken note of the best performance in the film though, and that is John Turturro's.

Rating:
Summary: Matt Did Bad
Review: Academy Award winner Matt Damon and Edward Norton lead a critically acclaimed cast in this story of passion, risk and the extreme price of friendship! Dealt a painful lesson when he blows his hard-earned savings in a high-stakes, underground card club, master poker player Mike (Damon) thinks he's played his final hand when he gives up gambling for law school and a fresh start with his beautiful girlfriend (Mol). But then, his best buddy (Norton) gets out of prison and is in over his head with a ruthless Russian card shark (Malkovich). From there, Mike's strong sense of loyalty and the irresistible lure of this game draw him back to the tables in a do-or-die bid to rescue his friend! In this riveting motion picture also featuring John Turturro and Martin Landau, Mike ultimately finds himself forced to wager his very future in a game he cannot afford to lose!

Rating:
Summary: KGB's accent isn't an issue for me...
Review: A bit tedious for those that are not real poker players or fans, but enjoyable. There has been lots of criticism here of Malkovich's Russian accent - though he made the film for me - he's such a character! I don't think the issue is whether his accent is accurate. The issue is whether it's effective - and it is. It came off as an accent of an uneducated, slightly learning disabled, poker-savant, creep...in short, a Malkovich character. He and Norton made the movie enjoyable for me.

Rating:
Summary: Welcome to the Holy Game of Poker
Review: This movie is such an enjoyable thing to watch. Every actor in it gives some of the best work ever done. Matt Damon shows that he can not only write but truly act. He portrays a man who is addicted to the game of poker, but because of his girl-friend and life, has given it up. Not until an old friend gets out of prison, Edward Norton, does he get sucked back into the old world that he had forgotten. The movie is dark and gritty, offering the idea of what these people's lives were really about. I, myself am not a real poker player, but this movie really made me want to get out a deck of cards and call a few friends. Definately worth a watch.

Rating:
Summary: Why Do You Think They Make Them Round?
Review: The chips, that is.

As poker movies go, this is actually pretty good. It is the only movie about poker that is authentic both technically and psychologically. The only real competition is the Cincinnati Kid (1965); however that film is greatly marred by the improbability of Steve McQueen being dealt a royal flush in five-card stud to win the key hand. The odds against being dealt a royal on any given hand are 649,739 to 1. Multiply that by the odds against getting it just when you need it, and we are in Fantasyland. Part of the power of the script comes from the technical help of Mike Caro and other professional poker players. I know the triptych themes of (1) buddy for buddy (until it becomes ridiculous-as Matt Damon was for Ed Norton), and (2) honestly among poker players, and (3) The Game and male-bonding before women (as when Damon gives up the very fetching Gretchen Mol for cards and "feeling alive") are macho poker-guy bonding themes espoused by Mike Caro and others in the profession.

Matt Damon is very winning in the starring role, and Norton is properly despicable as one of life's losers, and John Malkovich is riveting as Teddy KGB in spite of what some might say about his accent.

The fact that the players play Hold'em, which is the most widely-played game in the poker clubs and the Vegas casinos today, and the one played for the world championship, lends to the overall authenticity of the film. Again, this contrasts with the Cincinnati Kid where five-card stud was played. However, even in 1965 that game was seldom if ever spread in most clubs, the dominate games at the time being low-ball, draw, and seven-card stud. Five-card stud is too simplistic for the modern player.

Much of the plot of Rounders is familiar and could be (and has been) wrapped around other themes and sleazy backdrops. The ending, which I will skip here, is however original as far as I know, and psychologically true, just ask any rounder. The key bit of authenticity that I think Director John Dahl and company got exactly right is that it takes courage and a devil-may-care sort of aggressiveness to win at high-stakes poker, and Mike McDermott had that.

Incidentally, the derivation of the word "rounder" is unclear as far as I know. It was used in England two hundred years ago to refer to a vagabond. It appeared in the clubs in Gardena, California at least as early as the 1960's to identify a regular player who went from club to club looking for a game he could beat. The term has sticking power because the chips really are round and roll from player to player, just as the fortunes of the rounders fluctuate from day to day as they make their rounds from club to club.

Rating:
Summary: an acting highlight
Review: This is an excellent movie to watch over and over again. If you are into movies that rely on extraordinary acting, you'll enjoy this one for sure. (It even looks like the director has some theater background, though the plot is no way close to extreme use of theatrical techniques in movies like American History X). The actors display a very nice balance of "characters" and "role-players". Norton and Damon belong to the first, Malkovich, Turturro, Mol, Janssen belong to the other category. Especially Norton's character is great fun to watch for his extraordinary acting displayed in the distribution of mimic use. Norton presents an excellent balancing of jests,mimics, and body language distributed nicely around joyful and distressful moments. John Malkovich is outstanding, too. His "bad guy" is as impressive as the one in In the Line of Fire. His economic use of grotesque acting techniques is very delicately balanced with detailed calm moments (e.g. pay attention to his use of body language in watching a soccer game on TV). Finally, critical hands of poker are worth watching again and again, though it assumes some basic poker knowledge. On the whole, if you are sensitive to details, and detailed acting, you will love this movie even if you don't have a clue about poker, or gambling addiction.

Rating:
Summary: absolutely my favorite
Review: I watched this movie before I knew how to play poker and loved it- Matt Damon and Edward Nortan are incredible actors and having John Malkavich as a character just puts a cherry on top! Oh and Famke Jensen! double cherries! The acting is incredible, the story is unique and new and fun, the language is cool. Everything about this movie is great. I later learned how to play poker and love it just as much or more. You don't have to be a poker player to love it! You might have to watch it more than once to get the gist, but you'll want to anyway! Edward Nortan is easily my favorite actor- see this movie then check out his others! I swear I watch this movie at least once a week!