Rounders (1998)

Like a less-assured Ocean's Eleven, the drama is solid with plenty of lightness in the characters and dialogue. In the lead, Damon is meh, but he's surrounded by acting royalty giving their all (Landau, Norton, Malkovich, Turturro). Over-the-top, silly, and melodramatic, but the attitude and simple story are a full house of fun…get it? Full house?

*Minor Spoilers Ahead* Mike McDermott (Matt Damon) is a law student that plays high stakes poker on the side. He's brilliant, well-versed and cocky as hell. He plays poker at an underground poker game run by Russian mobster KGB (John Malkovich). On the way to the game he talks about his style of play and what you need to do to succeed in this game. He works his way to the final table and he thinks he's got KGB beat until KGB flips his cards over with the best possible hand on the table. Mike loses his entire $30,000 bankroll. It's then he decides to change and promises his girlfriend Jo (Gretchen Mol) that he won't play poker anymore. He follows that promise and begins to succeed in school but with his former best-friend Worm (Edward Norton) getting out of jail, will he tempt Mike into his old habits?The first thing I want to talk about is the look of the film. The movie doesn't offer much in the way of flashy visuals but it captures the feel of tense poker games. The environment is sometimes dirty and there isn't enough light. People aren't terribly concerned with their appearance and there isn't always a friendly atmosphere. It's not glamorous playing in someone's basement (I'm not a pro poker player but I know my way around Texas Hold'Em) or in the back room of a bar. The grittiness of the cinematography and the tension captured in the poker playing scenes adds a feel out authenticity to the movie.I tend not to be a big fan of character pieces that centre around unsympathetic heroes. Who wants to watch some guy/girl you can't stand journey towards redemption? What this movie does so well is that while you can't always agree with Mike's decisions, he never completely crosses the line into being an unforgivable prick. He's genuinely trying to be a better person but through a combination of his own weakness and Worm constantly manipulating him, he can't turn away. I think Rounders presents a very well-written look at how hard it can be to escape your demons especially when those around you are trying to pull you down into the $#^!. This is driven-home by having Joey Knish (John Tuturro) in the movie. He does the honest work, pounds the pavement and has that control. He might not have hit it big but he gets by and I really liked the scene where he gives it right back to Mike when he essentially calls him a loser.This movie has other strengths other than the sharp dialogue and the strong characters you could relate to. If Matt Damon or Edward Norton had phoned it in, the movie would have collapsed on itself and luckily they came to play (much like their characters). Matt Damon plays it just right as Mike, he's the straight-man next to Norton but he's the perfect mix of cold and calculating without being a jerk. He helps make Mike seem believable in this scummy underworld. Edward Norton is just as good as Worm, he's that scumbag you love to hate. There are points where it's hard not to yell at the screen because he's just so frustrating. Norton's got a lot of charm but his character's unshakable belief that he's invincible made me furious. I also liked Martin Landau, John Tuturro, Gretchen Mol and Michael Rispoli in their respective supporting roles. I also like John Malkovich but this is the second movie I've seen where he can't quite nail his accent (Deepwater Horizon would be the other).Some people have complained about the ending to Rounders. I don't think it's perfect (KGB gets played pretty easily after taking Mike to school in the beginning) but I think it hits the right bittersweet balance. Mike isn't a hero, he plays KGB again when he should walk away and he leaves to go to Las Vegas in the closing minutes of the film. He also doesn't track down Worm either which I liked too. He gets out of the jam and is able to escape without ending up in a shallow grave. The movie doesn't feel the need to teach you a lesson, it trusts you to pick it up by yourself and while that can be frustrating sometimes, I thought it was kind of poignant here.I had only a few small complaints about this movie. One, Rounders can be pretty depressing. The story is predictable at points and once Mike goes down the rabbit hole, until you hit the end, you know what he's going to find isn't pretty. There are minor problems with the poker games (I mentioned above, the ending of the final game seems a little anti-climactic) but it remained pretty tense. I see why this movie was a cult-hit. It tells an interesting and contained story, it has two of the better actors of their generation putting on a clinic and while it isn't perfect it's easily one of the best films centred around this game.

A young law school student (Matt Damon) is a reformed gambler who must return to playing big stakes poker to help a friend (Edward Norton) pay off loan sharks.If there is a weak spot in this movie, it is John Malkovich. And I do not mean that as a slight against him, but really more against the casting. He is too well-known of an actor, it jumps out as obvious that he is not a Russian. If you can't get a real Russian, at least get Peter Stormare.Ed Norton does a fine supporting job. Not his best role, but even his lesser roles are still good. He is among the best. And Damon? He nails it. It doesn't seem so much like he's acting as just extending who he naturally is. But that's why it works, because it seems natural. He has the timing and delivery to sound like a sharp, witty huckster.

Mike McDermott (Matt Damon) is a card player who loses it all to KGB (John Malkovich). He vows to quit to his girlfriend Jo (Gretchen Mol). However when his childhood friend Worm (Edward Norton) gets out of prison, he pulls Mike back into the life.The card games can get very boring if done incorrectly. The games here are done pretty well. At least, the movie doesn't dwell on the games too much. It's the acting which makes this a superior movie. Matt Damon is really solid which allows Ed Norton to play the wild man. Their relationship is the center of the movie. Norton really has the skills to play the darker half of the duo.Some may have difficulties with the message of the movie. The idea of using your god given skills no matter what those skills may be is an unconventional message. I doubt there is another movie where the movie roots for the lead to play poker instead of studying law school.