Rounders

[baumer]

Discuss the flop, turn and the river.

[baumer]

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. 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 critically recognized 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 20 years!

[DAR]

Pretty much spot on. A

[baumer]

Surprised more people here haven't commented on this.

 

Point Break:  7/10

Lazarus Effect:  7.5/10

Paranormal Activity: Ghost Dimension:  7.5/10

The Hateful Eight:  7/10

Terminator Genisys:  7/10

Room:  9/10

Jurassic World:  9.5/10

Star Wars TFA:  10/10

Fast 7:  8/10

 

Inside Out: 9/10

The Martian:  8.5/10

Ant-Man:  8.5/10

Mad Max:  8.5/10

MI Rogue Nation:  8.5/10

We Are Your Friends:  7.5/10

Creed:  9.5/10

Trainwreck:  9/10

Spy:  9/10

Kingsman:  8.0/10

Mad Max:  8.5/10

 

San Andreas: 8.0/10

The Big Short: 9/10

Straight Outta Compton:  8.5/10

Black Mass:  8.5/10

The Wedding Ringer:  8/10

The Visit:  8.5/10

Bridge of Spies:  9/10

Sisters:  8/10

Southpaw:  8/10

Joy:  8/10

 

Sicario:  9.5/10

The Night Before:  8.5/10

Everest:  9/10

The Gift: 9/10

Woman in Gold:  8.5/10

The Duff:  9/10

The Age of Adeline:  8.5/10

The Revenant:  8.5/10

No Escape:  8.5/10

Spotlight:  9/10

 

A Walk in the Woods:  8.5/10

Love the Coopers:  9.5/10

Brooklyn: 9.5/10

Self/Less:  8.5/10

American Ultra: 8.5/10

It Follows:  10/10

The Secret in Their Eyes:  8/10

Baahubali: The Beginning: 9/10

Carol:  9.5/10

Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse:  8.5/10

Trumbo:  9.5/10

 

48) We Are Your Friends:  7.5/10

50) Point Break:  7/10

49) Terminator Genisys:  7/10

46) Lazarus Effect:  7.5/10

47) Paranormal Activity: Ghost Dimension:  7.5/10

45) The Hateful Eight:  7.5/10

49) Terminator Genisys:  7/10

 

 

 

34) The Martian:  8.5/10

28) Ant-Man:  8.5/10

22) Mad Max:  8.5/10

27) Straight Outta Compton:  8.5/10

23) Black Mass:  8.5/10

31) The Visit:  8.5/10

26) The Night Before:  8.5/10

25) Woman in Gold:  8.5/10

32) The Age of Adeline:  8.5/10

24) The Revenant:  8.5/10

33) No Escape:  8.5/10

35) A Walk in the Woods:  8.5/10

30) Self/Less:  8.5/10

29) American Ultra: 8.5/10

21) Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse:  8.5/10

 

[DAR]

Every now then my friends and I would go to the local casino by uttering the phrase let's play some fucking cards

[RobinHood26]

"Bad Judgement" love that line. Its a very very good movie and one of my dads favorites.

 

B+ (88)

[Master Scottb]

A great movie. I believe that this movie along with Chris Moneymaker winning the WSOP in 03' are what led to pokers popularity. I know a lot of people who were introduced to Texas Hold'em Poker by this movie.

[baumer]

Watching the film with commentary by director and writers and Norton.  Fascinating.  The film was passed by every studio until Miramax liked it.  Norton immediately agreed to do the film after reading the script.  He was also allowed to improvise a lot.  The commentary is fascinating.

[GiantCALBears]

As a former poker pro the actual hands are irrelevant, this & Chris Moneymaker were the two things that spawned the poker boom. Will have a longer legacy than many of the films in this database, definition of a cult film with obviously great performances from the entire cast.