Rounders (1998)

Director:

John Dahl

Writers (WGA):

David Levien (written by) &
Brian Koppelman (written by)

Release Date:

11 September 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

You've got to play the hand you're dealt.

Plot:

A young man (Damon) is a reformed gambler who must return to playing big stakes poker to help a friend pay off loan sharks. |

Plot Keywords:

Poker | Loan Shark | Destiny | First Part | One Word Title

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Matt Damon	...	Mike McDermott
Edward Norton	...	Lester 'Worm' Murphy
Paul Cicero	...	Russian Thug
John Turturro	...	Joey Knish
Ray Iannicelli	...	Kenny
Gretchen Mol	...	Jo
Famke Janssen	...	Petra
Merwin Goldsmith	...	Sy
John Malkovich	...	Teddy KGB
Martin Landau	...	Abe Petrovsky
Sonny Zito	...	Tony
Michael Rispoli	...	Grama
Melina Kanakaredes	...	Barbara
Mal Z. Lawrence	...	Irving
Josh Mostel	...	Zagosh

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive strong language, some sexuality and brief drug use.

Runtime:

121 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Hebrew | Russian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Chile:18 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:18 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R | Philippines:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Miramax Films

Trivia:

Rounders was set in New York City but all of the law school scenes were filmed in and around Rutgers Law School in Newark, NJ.

Goofs:

Factual errors: There are a lot of instances of string bets in the various different games - people moving their chips into the pot in two separate motions - but by rule, if you don't verbally declare your bet, your first motion is your bet. Also, things like "I call your $20000 and raise you xxxx", "your $5000, plus another xxxx" etc. would be declared calls, because your "raise" was a secondary declaration.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Mike McDermott: Listen, here's the thing. If you can't spot the sucker in the first half hour at the table, then you ARE the sucker.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: John Malkovich/T.I. (#34.10)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Funk #49

One of the most under rated films ever!

Rounders is nothing short of hypnotic. It is a film that introduced me and many others to the surreal world of poker. High stakes, Texas Hold Em, winner take all poker. For those unfamiliar with the game, not only is this a perfect tutorial to understand the game, but this is a movie that will entertain you right to the very end.

I like to think that this is just like Rocky. Matt Damon plays Mike McDermott, just like Stallone played Rocky. He has all the talent in the world but he needs to find a way to harness it and get the right opportunity. KGB is a little like Appollo Creed and John Tuturro is like Mickey in some ways. But enough of the comparisons of Rocky.

What makes Rounders so compelling is the interpersonal relationships in the film, no doubt, but let's face it, what really makes the film as vibrant and energetic as it is, is the poker scenes. We are introduced to several games here, namely Omaha, Omaha Hi Lo, 7 Card Stud and of course Texas Hold Em. According to Mike, Texas No Limit is the Cadillac of all poker games. He of course got that info from reading books by some of the poker greats such as Phil Helmuth, Amarillo Slim and of course The Godfather of poker, Doyle Brunson. Great detail is spent on the feel of poker in this film. When you are in the poker rooms, you can smell the smoke, taste the mustiness of the air and you can feel the emotions that the players feel. It really is a masterful job by Dahl to convey these emotions. And full credit has to be give to the screenwriters to know the lingo, to mollify us with terms like "flop", "river", "rags" and "bicycle". Rounders helped introduce me to this nefarious world and just like many others before me, I am hooked. Rounders can take credit for that.

What also must be mentioned here is the performances. Like many of the reviewers before me, I was awed by the absolute mastery of these characters by Damon, Norton, Malkovich, Turturro and Landau. My favourite performance is that of John Malkovich. He plays a Russian mobster called KGB. He is a master poker player and in the beginning scene, he takes all of Mike's bankroll as he hits a full house on fourth street, to cripple Mike's smaller boat. Malkovich is a master. He can play any role and he proves it in spades here. Think of his performance in a film like In The Line of Fire or in Of Mice and Men and this is about as diametric from those roles as you can get. There is not one second in the film when you don't believe that he is a Russian mobster with a propensity for gambling. If this film would have been more recognized back in 98, he could have received an Oscar nomination. He is that good. Matt Damon is really a fine actor and this film, while not as known as some of this others, is really a layered performance and one of his best. He plays the young prodigal son here with absolute zeal. Damon has to be one of the best actors working today and seeing as this was one of his first performances after Good Will Hunting, you have to give him that much more credit for taking on such an esoteric role. Kudos to him.

Rounders has grown in reputation over the years to the point where a special edition DVD with the likes of Helmuth, Johnny Chan, Chris "Jesus" Ferguson and 2003 WSOP champion Chris Moneymaker providing some excellent and enlightening commentary on the track. If you love this film, it is imperative that you pick up the SE DVD. It will enhance the experience for you and will help you appreciate the film that much more. It is fun and exciting to hear the 4 of them laugh when Mike finally busts KGB using Johnny Chen's methods from his first win in the World Series of Poker. Rounders is a fantastic movie and for those that haven't seen it, you should.

10/10 One of the most under rated films of the last 10 years!