Rounders Reviews

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.

A must see if you like No-Limit Texas Holdem.

Enjoyable film even if you know nothing about poker. If you play Teaxas No Limit Holdem you are in for a treat. Better than watching the repeats of Late Night Poker on Sky!

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.

Sun uf a beech

There is one reason to see this otherwise fairly bog-standard, late 90s wiseguy movie of the Swingers type - Malkovich's demented performance as the bearded Russian mafia guy. He ordered the scenery sandwich with extra ham. It's great. I don't care if his accent is authentic (and to be honest, I did keep expecting him to say 'I vont to suck your blood'), he's genius.

Other than that, Matt Damon does his likeable, Will Hunting, puppy-dog thing, Ed Norton does his nasally huckster, and Martin Landau wears a silly toupee. Oh, and I'm sure you'll dig this movie if you like poker.

Well worth watching

I thought a movie about poker would be a bit of a turn-off but I'm glad I was proved wrong because this is a very good film.

Admittedly, the plot about a gambler trying to overcome the habit is not the most original idea to come out of Hollywood, but what lifts the film into my four-star rating is the solid and believable performances by the two main actors, Matt Damon and Ed Norton.

...no extras on this DVD, but I read somewhere there's a DVD re-release on the way with some decent extras.

Great Movie !!!

law student Mike McDermott (Matt Damon), who loses his entire savings to Russian club owner Teddy KGB (John Malkovich). Mike then turns away from cards, devoting his attentions to his law studies and his live-in girlfriend Jo (Gretchen Mol), who's concerned when Mike's former gambling buddy Worm (Edward Norton) is released from prison. She has good reason to worry, since it takes Worm only a matter of minutes to draw Mike back into poker action. When she learns Mike has returned to the poker clubs, she moves out, and Mike begins to lose interest in his studies. Worm has a pre-prison debt, and the threatening Grama (Michael Rispoli) wants the money. Mike not only indulges the irresponsible Worm, he gets involved in Worm's debts. When Grama demands $15,000 on a five-day deadline, the two buddies go into high gear with a non-stop, no-sleep gambling binge that spirals downward toward an ultimate confrontation with Teddy KGB. Darkened club interiors and New York nights are captured by the cinematography of Jean Yves Escoffier, who moved from French films (the 1991 Les Amants du Pont Neuf) to American movies with the reflective surfaces of Excess Baggage (1997) and the patina of pathos found in Harmony Korine's experimental Gummo (1997). Shown at the 1998 Venice Film Festival and the 1998 Montreal Film Festival.

Enjoyed this film. Matt Damon is good as is Ed Norton in a pretty good film that has John Malkovitch doing what he does best. Entertaining enough and would watch again.

If you like poker (especially the fine art that is texas hold'em) then this film proves to be entertaining and engaging throughout. If you don't know anything about poker I think it could be a bit difficult to get into. Rather predictable outcome in the end but well worth watching.

Good movie for a sat nite

A very enjoyable movie just to see malkovich doing his bit at the end..Norton and damon very good..never gamble !

Consider the book instead

I read this book on holiday, and really enjoyed it. The film was above average in most ways, but I think the performance from John Malkovich was a bit poor. Over-acted and not at all menacing, unlike the character in the book.

Worth a rent if you like the subject matter