Beyond a few limited hands of poker played here and there, my knowledge and sense of the game -- probably like most people -- comes from different places. One of the seemingly more common sense ones is country singer Kenny Rogers and his song, "The Gambler," where he states: "You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em. Know when to walk away and know when to run. You never count your money, when you're sittin' at the table. There'll be time enough for countin', when the dealin's done."
While that seems to make perfect sense to the novice, it probably doesn't completely touch on the reality of those who play the game for a living. Going for what is presumably a realistic look at the high-end stakes of big-time poker, "Rounders" is to the world of card sharks as "The Hustler" and "The Color of Money" were to big money billiards.
A solidly constructed, but not quite spectacular drama that features good performances from all involved, the film's only drawbacks are its predictable nature and the lack of the necessary spark to make it a standout flick. Unfortunately, and despite the stellar cast and their performances, that will most likely prevent the film from truly breaking out.
Of course, if you're a card shark or a fan of such "recreation," you'll probably have a better time than the general audience. Nonetheless, it's always entertaining to be taken into a "foreign" world where the rules are over our heads, and for those unfamiliar with the game, this will be one of those experiences.
While poker clearly isn't nuclear physics, screenwriters David Levien and Brian Koppelman (collectively making their writing debut) have infused the material with enough idiomatic specifics that a working knowledge of the game certainly won't hurt since the different matches and terminology -- while again presumably accurate -- might befuddle many viewers.
Fortunately, one of the hotter stars of the moment, Matt Damon ("Good Will Hunting," "Saving Private Ryan"), is there to lead us through the story and background material. While his voice over narration is occasionally too on the nose, much of it's needed to quickly get the audience up to speed with the rules of his character's world.
As the card shark turned law student, Damon does a decent job portraying the gambler whose addiction nearly proves to be his undoing. Although not as good a performance as he delivered in "Good Will" (mostly due to a mildly weaker role), his big grin and charming demeanor go a long way. For the most part, he's quite believable and his cocky, self-assured and potently skilled character is the type that's an instant crowd pleaser. Consequently, it's easy to sympathize with him, especially when we know that he's clearly "falling off the wagon" again and obviously headed for trouble.
His counterpart, Edward Norton ("Primal Fear," "The People Vs. Larry Flynt"), is quite simply outstanding, but certainly not likeable as the perpetual loser. Playing the symbolic tempting snake to Damon's "Eve," Norton perfectly creates a character who essentially ruins Mike's life by slowly luring him back into a dangerous world. Once again proving that he's of the better actors working today, Norton can't be accused of showboating when that would have been the easy way to play the character. Instead, he simply becomes Worm in an understated, but completely realistic fashion.
In a part that's unfortunately too brief, John Malkovich ("In the Line of Fire," "Dangerous Liaisons") steals the show as the all powerful Russian thug/card shark who controls the underground poker circuit. Sporting a thick accent that he uses to maximum comic effect, and a penchant for allowing the sound and look of separating Oreo cookies to guide his playing decisions, Malkovich is a delight in the role. Wisely, the film draws to its close by focusing on his and Mike's big showdown.
Other supporting performers are fine as well, from Gretchen Mol ("The Last Time I Committed Suicide") as Mike's girlfriend, Martin Landau ("Ed Wood") as the supportive professor, and John Turturro ("The Big Lebowski") surprisingly underplaying his role as Mike's poker mentor.
While director John Dahl ("The Last Seduction," "Unforgettable") never gets fancy with the camera work to jack up the scenes (like Scorsese did in "The Color of Money"), the poker matches easily manage to hold our attention. And when a group of oblivious conventioneers sits down at a card shark infested poker table in Atlantic City, the scene pricelessly unfolds.
While Dahl relies perhaps a bit too much on the protagonist's voice over, and the film never manages to fully achieve the stellar orbit it certainly deserves, it's still quite good. Playing out as one of those films that continues to grow on you days after seeing it, "Rounders" is a solidly constructed drama with some great performances. We give it a 7.5 out of 10.
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