Reviews & Ratings for
Rounders More at IMDbPro »

0 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
A very compelling film., 16 July 2003

Author: P Carr (pavel@fan.com) from Topeka, KS

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

**Warning! Mild Spoilers Ahead!**

"Rounders" tells the story of Mike McDermott (Matt Damon), who was once a pretty good card shark, and his best friend Worm (Edward Norton), an accomplice fresh out of jail. As one can infer, Worm nudges Mike back into the card world, and things snowball from there.

The movie falls primarily into the sports movie genre. Poker of course isn't a conventional sport, but the script follows the sports movie formula. Thus, you shouldn't be shocked by any of the plot turns, as the movie requirements make each decision a necessary one. But what does surprise is the smartness of the decisions. The characters think smartly and on their feet, making almost every decision a logical one, when the character of each is considered. Everything adds up well, leading to the blood-pumping final scenes (at least as much as poker can get the blood-pumping).

Acting performances provide both highlights and lowlights of "Rounders." Matt Damon provides Mike with the needed mix of boyishness and confidence, and contributes one of the great movie faces of the last few years when he loses a poker hand early in the movie. Edward Norton nails another part, this one as the slimy weasel of a friend. Worm rarely makes a good decision, and Norton expresses that cocky stupidity, effectively making you want to strangle him.

I haven't yet decided if Gretchen Mol is awful in her role as Mike's girlfriend, Jo, or if she nails the part so well that I hate her. The truth is probably somewhere in between, and regardless of her intent, she portrays the epitome of every whiny, intrusive girlfriend. With Jo's every line, you can almost hear the stakes being hammered into Mike's heart. If you watch this with a group of guys (as you should), you will undoubtedly hear a combination of cursing, moaning, muttering, and teeth-gnashing as she grates on their nerves. But at least from a male perspective, this doesn't detract from the movie. Mike becomes that much more appealing, as we beg for him to ditch the b**** and dive back into the exhilarating world of high-stakes poker.

John Malkovich's portrayal of Russian mobster Teddy KGB also deserves its own paragraph. He delivers one of the most enjoyable over-the-top performances I can remember. I have no idea what the heck kind of an accent he uses, don't know if it's accurate at all, and frankly don't care. It somehow hits the right note. Teddy's flawed attempts to use American profanity and innuendo are perfectly executed, yet hilarious.

Among the solid supporting cast is John Tuturro, being his usual stellar self as Knish, the stoic grinder. Martin Landau, in a Obi-Wan/Mickey Goldmill-esque role, is fine to good as Mike's law professor. Famke Janssen is smokin' as Petra, the Russian vixen who runs a local poker club. The rest of the cast falls into place, nailing their parts without drawing much attention to themselves.

Matt Damon provides narration over the course of the movie, and that is an excellent decision by the filmmakers. Rather than provide excessive exposition in the form of dialogue, they choose to use Damon's voice, which provided thoughts primarily related to poker theory. Those opinions and facts are both informative and enticing, further drawing the viewer into the poker world. That world is portrayed extremely well, and yet you need not know anything about cards to enjoy this movie. While you probably won't pick up on some of the intricacies, you will still fully understand what is happening.

This is the kind of movie that doesn't rely on technical prowess to succeed. But those aspects of the flick are still surprisingly good. There isn't a traditional score, but the music kicks in at appropriate times. Often used along with shots of transition, both physical and emotional, the soundtrack contains a mixture of jazz and blues instrumental music. It's card-playing music, Vegas music, driving when necessary, sitting in the background when necessary. The highlight of the understated music was at the end of the movie. After a climactic event, the camera lingers on a particular person who is absorbing what happened. Rather than crescendo and over-dramatize the moment, the music remains subdued, effectively expressing the thoughts of that character.

The color choices are excellent as well. The exterior shots and most non-poker scenes are primarily done in monochromatic hues, somewhat similar to the matrix portion of the "Matrix" films. Contrasting with those shots are the vivid colors of the poker scenes. Whether they occur in an Atlantic City casino or an underground lair, the card scenes feature a richness that is accented by the colorful chips and playing cards. Those scenes are where Mike says he feels alive, and the colors on the screen express this emotion as well.

Great movies possess great themes, and although I hesitate to label this movie 'great', it does feature the great human themes of money, greed, pride, and friendship. These are what drive the show. Above all, it is a compelling film, one that you want to keep watching throughout, and one that you will likely want to watch again when finished. After a few hands of poker.

Bottom Line: If this doesn't get you fired up to play poker, nothing will. 8 of 10. Let's play some cards.

Add another review

Related Links