"Good luck, man..."      

ROUNDERS (R) 

Reviewed September 11, 1998 - Check out the Rounders Website.

Poker.  That's what Rounders is all about.

Mike McDermott (Matt Damon) is a skillful young "rounder" (i.e. someone who makes the rounds at poker games) who's gone straight after being cleaned out of $30,000 at a poker game.  Now a law student in New York city, Mike thinks he's put the game of poker behind him, working his way through school by taking odd jobs here and there.  However, when Mike's debt-ridden best friend Worm (Edward Norton) is released from prison, Mike finds himself reluctantly dragged into the world of poker once again.  At first it's about getting his best friend back on his feet.  It's about the money--that's it, that's all.  Pretty soon though, the thrill of the game captures Mike, and he and Worm dive head first into a fast, furious world of high stakes hands and seedy characters.  Before he knows it Mike finds that his legal studies are suffering, his girlfriend (Gretchen Mol) has left him, and that he needs to play himself out of a $15,000 hole to pay off some goons who wouldn't think twice about "breaking things" if they don't get their money.  Nice, eh?

Written by David Levien and Brian Koppelman, and directed by John Dahl, Rounders is an intelligent and riveting portrayal of the high stakes world of professional poker.  Weekend warriors are fish food for these sharks, and Rounders does a nice job not only teaching us about the sharks, but also about how they operate.  With excellent lead performances by Damon and Norton (and nice supporting performances by John Turturro, John Malkovich and Martin Landau) Rounders is a film that's sometimes suspenseful, sometimes disturbing, but always energetic and watchable.  The dynamic between Mike and Worm is particularly fascinating, with Mike continuing to support his friend even as his world falls deeper and deeper into chaos.  Know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away, know when to run...now that I've quoted a Kenny Rogers song, a swift conclusion is probably in order.  Swift conclusion: Rounders is an intelligent, entertaining drama that's definitely worth seeing.  Ante up.

Responses from cyberspace--thanks for writing!

info@bigbux.com gives this movie  stars: "This is huge movie! I wish I would have seen it in the theatres. I have seen it over a 100 times to date." (10/21/00)

parrar@jmu.edu gives this movie  stars: "Whether you play cards or not, this movie will make you want to earn a living at poker." (3/29/99)

eflatgp@hotmail.com gives this movie  stars: "Rounders is one of those movies that the more you think about it, the more you see the holes in it. Which means that I was so swept up in the story that I didn't notice its flaws, the biggest being that Boris Badunov meets Tim Curry accent of Malkovich's. Still, great performances by all, a gripping true to life story about how far friendship and addiction go, and the best card sequences I've ever seen." (10/12/98)

andersch@eglin.af.mil gives this movie  stars: "okay if you like to play cards." (9/23/98)

Ryan George says: "Okay, I actually just have a question. Why is it that Matt can't get away from being a law-dog? I'm not a big fan of his but of the last few films it seems that is what he's leaning toward. rg" (9/11/98)