Rounders
1998
Damon is Mike McDermott, a law student who has given up his true talent (and love), gambling, when he loses all of his money to Teddy KGB (Malkovich in a hilarious role). Months later, when his friend Worm (Norton) gets out of jail and is on a strict deadline to repay a $15,000 debt to Teddy, he must decide whether or not to .. Read more
| Starring | Matt Damon, Edward Norton, John Turturro, Famke Janssen |
|---|---|
| Director | John Dahl |
| Genres | Drama |
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Rounders
Damon is Mike McDermott, a law student who has given up his true talent (and love), gambling, when he loses all of his money to Teddy KGB (Malkovich in a hilarious role). Months later, when his friend Worm (Norton) gets out of jail and is on a strict deadline to repay a $15,000 debt to Teddy, he must decide whether or not to help his friend, threatening his student status and relationship with his girlfriend (Mol). Tightly written, beautifully photographed by the brilliant Escoffier, and well-played all across the board (particularly by Norton), this is a work of slick, enjoyable entertainment.
| Starring | Matt Damon, Edward Norton, John Turturro, Famke Janssen, Gretchen Mol, John Malkovich, Martin Landau |
|---|---|
| Director | John Dahl |
| Studio | WALT DISNEY STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAINMENT |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 56 mins Blu-ray: 1 hr 56 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama |
| Language | English |
| Hearing-impaired | English |
| Subtitles | English |
| Released | DVD: 07 Jan 2002 Blu-ray: unknown Production year: 1998 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (6)
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In this entertaining drama, Matt Damon plays legal student-turned-poker player Mike McDermott, who keeps his cards — and his emotions — close to his chest. After losing his life savings, McDermott promises his girlfriend (Gretchen Mol) he'll give up the game, but the lure of the tables proves strong when a friend and fellow gambler (Edward Norton) comes out of jail with a pressing need to pay off a debt. Damon and Norton give accomplished performances, and they're well supported by a stellar cast that includes John Malkovich, John Turturro and Martin Landau. Director John Dahl established the vogue for “nouveau” film noir with his superb The Last Seduction, and he imbues this with a similar downbeat atmosphere that atones for the rather sketchily drawn characters and overfamiliar plot.
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"...Mischievously entertaining....Jean-Yves Escoffier contributes deep-hued evocative cinematography to the overall dark allure..."
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Most helpful member's review
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11 out of 11 people found this review helpful
A full house on the poker hand scale of films
There are two schools of thought when it comes to poker. There are those who think of it as a game of skill and mathematical probability. There are those who see it as a seedy game where all can be lost on the whimsy of lady luck. But, as Matt Damon’s character in the film says Poker isn’t luck. So if you want to learn something about the most widely played game on the Internet, watch this!
When Rounders was first released, I wasn’t into poker and I still enjoyed it. Now that I am I have revisited it and found it to be informative and entertaining. Damon makes a token attempt to explain the rules of the game at the start of the film but I believe this film can be enjoyed even if you don’t know the difference between a nut flush and an open-ended straight draw. The directing is tight to quote a poker phrase and the showdowns are tense and gripping. Edward Norton is superb as Damon’s loser friend and gets all the great lines. My major gripe with the film is John Malkovich’s unconvincing Russian accent. “Geeeeve zis mein hees marnie” just doesn’t work for me. There are lots of Hollywood clichés but overall this is about as good a film on poker as you will get.
While this is by no means a Royal Flush of a film, it is still a high hand and definitely worth calling a bet with. -
Most recent members' review
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4 out of 4 people found this review helpful
If you like Poker....
It's not a typical film about gambling, it doesn't dumb-down to the audience too much, and it's got an outstanding cast putting in strong performances (although John Malkovich does camp it up slightly!). Ultimately an excellent movie and well worth a watch.
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News and features
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Norton 'victimises' celebrity pals at poker
- 07 May 2009
Edward Norton's bank account is still benefiting from his role in 1998 poker movie Rounders - he's become skilled at emptying the wallets of his celebrity pals in high-stakes gambling sessions. The actor learned from the world's best poker players for his role as card shark Lester 'Worm' Murphy in the film Eleven years on, Norton is still hooked on poker and relishes cleaning out the pockets of pals like Woody Harrelson who dare to challenge him at the game. Norton, who is slated to play in a... Read more
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Rounders - BLU-RAY Version
Damon is Mike McDermott, a law student who has given up his true talent (and love), gambling, when he loses all of his money to Teddy KGB (Malkovich in a hilarious role). Months later, when his friend Worm (Norton) gets out of jail and is on a strict deadline to repay a $15,000 debt to Teddy, he ...
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Rounders
Damon is Mike McDermott, a law student who has given up his true talent (and love), gambling, when he loses all of his money to Teddy KGB (Malkovich in a hilarious role). Months later, when his friend Worm (Norton) gets out of jail and is on a strict deadline to repay a $15,000 debt to Teddy, he ...
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