... If you could ever criticize someone of monotone acting it is Matt Damon in "Rounders". Saying that, he looked amazingly comfortable round the card tables and you really got a sense that he knew what he was doing. My issues with the cast don't just stop at Damon and also found Norton incredibly ... Read review
In the game of life play the cards you're dealt... Dealt a painful lesson when he blows ... more
his hard-earned savings in a high-stakes underground card club master poker player Mike (Damon) thinks he's played his final hand when he gives up gambling for ...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
A little drunk on its own arcane exotica as a gambling movie,Roundersis a film that takes ... more
us inside a world of high-stakes card players but falls short on such essentials as character development and relationships. Still, it is a real curiosity, writte...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
A little drunk on its own arcane exotica as a gambling movie,Roundersis a film that takes ... more
us inside a world of high-stakes card players but falls short on such essentials as character development and relationships. Still, it is a real curiosity, written by a couple of guys (David Levien and Brian Koppelman) who appear to know something about the dark underbelly of card hustling for fun and profit. Matt Damon stars as a reluctant law student who can't put aside his subterranean career of playing poker and blackjack for big money. After he loses his post-gradnest egg to a weird Russian kingpin (John Malkovich)--and also loses his disgusted girlfriend (Gretchen Mol) in the process--Damon's character turns to an unreliable old buddy (Edward Norton) for a dangerous game of sharking wherever there happens to be a game underway: frat boys, cops, bad dudes, you name it. Norton appears to be living out every young actor's fantasy of re-creating Robert De Niro's prot! otypical head case in Martin Scorsese'sMean Streets, and while his performance is burdened by obvious quotation marks, his estimable talent still shines through. Damon's charm and intelligence bring some oomph to the curiously flat proceedings, and while his hushed, soul-bearing scenes with Martin Landau (as a law professor who takes a shine to the kid) seem gratuitous, they're still nice to watch. Behind all this is director John Dahl (Red Rock West), who is not exactly at the top of his game here but who brings his distinctive toughness to the crime-noir tone.--Tom Keogh, Amazon.com
Postage & Packaging:£1.21 Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
A little drunk on its own arcane exotica as a gambling movie,Roundersis a film that takes ... more
us inside a world of high-stakes card players but falls short on such essentials as character development and relationships. Still, it is a real curiosity, written by a couple of guys (David Levien and Brian Koppelman) who appear to know something about the dark underbelly of card hustling for fun and profit. Matt Damon stars as a reluctant law student who can't put aside his subterranean career of playing poker and blackjack for big money. After he loses his post-grad nest egg to a weird Russian kingpin (John Malkovich)--and also loses his disgusted girlfriend (Gretchen Mol) in the process--Damon's character turns to an unreliable old buddy (Edward Norton) for a dangerous game of sharking wherever there happens to be a game underway: frat boys, cops, bad dudes, you name it. Norton appears to be living out every young actor's fantasy of re-creating Robert De Niro's prot! otypical head case in Martin Scorsese'sMean Streets, and while his performance is burdened by obvious quotation marks, his estimable talent still shines through. Damon's charm and intelligence bring some oomph to the curiously flat proceedings, and while his hushed, soul-bearing scenes with Martin Landau (as a law professor who takes a shine to the kid) seem gratuitous, they're still nice to watch. Behind all this is director John Dahl (Red Rock West), who is not exactly at the top of his game here but who brings his distinctive toughness to the crime-noir tone.--Tom Keogh, Amazon.com
Postage & Packaging:£1.21 Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
A little drunk on its own arcane exotica as a gambling movie,Roundersis a film that takes ... more
us inside a world of high-stakes card players but falls short on such essentials as character development and relationships. Still, it is a real curiosity, written by a couple of guys (David Levien and Brian Koppelman) who appear to know something about the dark underbelly of card hustling for fun and profit. Matt Damon stars as a reluctant law student who can't put aside his subterranean career of playing poker and blackjack for big money. After he loses his post-grad nest egg to a weird Russian kingpin (John Malkovich)--and also loses his disgusted girlfriend (Gretchen Mol) in the process--Damon's character turns to an unreliable old buddy (Edward Norton) for a dangerous game of sharking wherever there happens to be a game underway: frat boys, cops, bad dudes, you name it. Norton appears to be living out every young actor's fantasy of re-creating Robert De Niro's prot! otypical head case in Martin Scorsese'sMean Streets, and while his performance is burdened by obvious quotation marks, his estimable talent still shines through. Damon's charm and intelligence bring some oomph to the curiously flat proceedings, and while his hushed, soul-bearing scenes with Martin Landau (as a law professor who takes a shine to the kid) seem gratuitous, they're still nice to watch. Behind all this is director John Dahl (Red Rock West), who is not exactly at the top of his game here but who brings his distinctive toughness to the crime-noir tone.--Tom Keogh, Amazon.com
Postage & Packaging:£1.21 Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
In the game of life play the cards you're dealt... Dealt a painful lesson when he blows ... more
his hard-earned savings in a high-stakes underground card club master poker player Mike (Damon) thinks he's played his final hand when he gives up gambling for law school and a fresh start with his beautiful girlfriend (Gretchen Mol). But then his best buddy (Norton) gets out of prison and in over his head with a ruthless Russian card shark (John Malkovich). From there Mike's strong sense of loyalty and the irresistible lure of the game draw him back to the tables in a do-or-die bid to rescue his friend! In this riveting motion picture also featuring John Turturro and Martin Landau Mike ultimately finds himself forced to wager his very future in a game he cannot afford to lose!
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Drama - Director: Kevin Smith - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler, George Carlin, Jennifer Lopez, Jason Biggs, Matt Damon
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Production Year: 2002 - Drama - Director: Michael Caton-Jones - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Robert De Niro, Frances McDormand, James Franco, Eliza Dushku, William Forsythe, George Dzundza, Patti Lupone
Advantages: Appeals to poker fans, good camera work Disadvantages: Poor acting, over technical dialogue, an overly glossy look
Mike McDermott (Matt Damon) a promising young student and avid poker player manages to lose all his money in one big game with the Russian Mafia. Vowing to never play again he sets about sorting his life out through hard work. Nine months later and seemingly able to keep his addiction in check things take a turn for the worse when his best friend, Lester 'Worm' Murphy (Edward Norton) is released from prison and convinces him to start playing again. ... ...Lester runs up considerable gambling debts in his name.
It seems that over the last decade the game of Poker has become increasingly popular, with tournaments and games being held on TV most nights of the week, you can even buy your own chips and gambling tables in high street shops. So it is no surprise that the men behind the Hollywood movies would ... more
Mike McDermott (Matt Damon) a promising young student and avid poker player manages to lose all his money in one big game with the Russian Mafia. Vowing to never play again he sets about sorting his life out through hard work. Nine months later and seemingly able to keep his addiction in check things take a turn for the worse when his best friend, Lester 'Worm' Murphy (Edward Norton) is released from prison and convinces him to start playing again. Suddenly Mike finds himself in over his head as Lester runs up considerable gambling debts in his name.
It seems that over the last decade the game of Poker has become increasingly popular, with tournaments and games being held on TV most nights of the week, you can even buy your own chips and gambling tables in high street shops. So it is no surprise that the men behind the Hollywood movies would attempt to tap into this current fad with a glossy, star studded film about the world of poker. Whilst they have certainly achieved in making a very engrossing, slick drama, they have failed to portray the life of a gambler in anything but a glamorous light.
The concept behind the film of an ex-gambler being dragged back into the world of high stakes poker is actually quite good and sort of demonstrates the allure of the cards that any gambler has. But sadly the writers have failed to capitalize on this interesting premise by not only failing to show the life of a gambler realistically but also focussing too heavily on the drama at the poker tables than away from it. These two major faults combine to make what is quite a flawed film although one which still manages to maintain a certain amount of audience interest. The faults start quite early on in the film and after we see Mike lose a huge amount of money he seems to be able to walk away from Poker without any problems, anyone who has ever had a gambling addiction will soon tell you this is near on impossible and the lure of the cards will always tempt you. The writers do redeem themselves slightly as they attempt to show that even after 9 months he still has the mind of a Poker player but they could have done so much more to demonstrate how gambling ruins your life. This problem with not being realistic carries on throughout the movie and when Mike returns to the table which in turn causes his relationship with his girlfriend to end as well as his future as a lawyer, he doesn't even bat an eyelid, in fact he laughs it off and heads for the poker tables again. Part of the issue with the film is that it is trying to be fast paced and in doing so has caused the problem with the lack of realism by skimming over things which are important, such as any real back history the characters. One of the worst cases of this attempt to be fast paced happens when Mike and Lester take a huge beating for cheating at a card game, but they seemingly manage to pull themselves up off the street and get straight back on with things.
Another huge issue is with the dialogue in the movie, as it is littered with technical references to the game of Poker. Now I am no novice at playing Poker (nor an expert), but most of this dialogue went straight over my head leaving me wondering what on earth they were on about. This is heightened by the film relying on a narration from the character Mike where he attempts to enlighten us to the mind of a Poker player. Sadly this fails to really work due to the fact that what he says is so full of technical mumbo jumbo that it distracts you from what is happening on the screen. That is not to say the writers have done a terrible job with the film, far from it and I can honestly say that there is enough drama and action to keep you focussed on the screen, especially when they show one of the many poker games which feature in the film.
I also feel the characters and the cast seriously let the film down, and for a film which is billed as having a star studded cast I feel a little bit cheated. The problems with the characters come from the fact that the film doesn't really stop to give us any real back history. Yes there is the narration which drops a few clues to why Mike and Worm are best buddies, but I felt it incredibly hard to really get a feel for the characters and also struggled as to why Mike remained loyal to Lester despite his cheating. Which is a huge point for me when it comes to how much I enjoy a film, especially a drama ,as I need to be able to relate to and understand the actions of the main characters. I also felt that the casting of Matt Damon in the lead was a huge mistake as he just doesn't show any emotion at all. If you could ever criticize someone of monotone acting it is Matt Damon in "Rounders". Saying that, he looked amazingly comfortable round the card tables and you really got a sense that he knew what he was doing. My issues with the cast don't just stop at Damon and also found Norton incredibly hard to relate to. My main problem with Norton is that he just doesn't look convincing as a quick talking card hustler and although he handled a deck of cards efficiently his mannerisms didn't fit the character. Where I feel really cheated by the film is the labelling of it as a star studded cast. Whilst I cannot deny that the film has some remarkable actors and actresses in it, such as John Turturro, John Malkovich, Famke Jannsen and Martin Landau, the film focuses so strongly on Damon's character and to some extent Norton's character that these big names are nothing more than bit players.
Although I have huge issues with the way the film glamorises the life of a card player, and skims over much of the nasty side. I have to admit that director John Dahl has done a very good job in making a fast paced, slick drama which will undoubtedly appeal to the legions of Poker fans. His style of shooting the poker scenes is brilliant and the mood he creates with the effective use of lighting really assists the film. I just wish he had taken the time to give us a better look at each of the characters allowing us to relate to them in a greater way than we can as the movie stands.
Whilst the concept for the film is indeed very good the fact that the film fails to paint the world of Poker in anything but a positive light is rather annoying. Yes it does to some agree show the allure of the game to gamblers and does attempt to show how the addictiveness of the game affects your life, but it never does it to the extent that it feels real. Of course the film is nothing more than a slick action drama about the world of Poker and to paint it in a truly realistic light would have probably put many a viewer off of watching it. I also feel that the casting of the film seriously lets it down, with monotone Damon showing no real emotion and Norton looking uneasy as a hustler being the two main faults. Plus the over technical dialogue will leave many a viewer bewildered as to what is going on. So whilst I may find it a reasonable slick drama, I feel it would probably only find a true fan in those who enjoy the game of Poker.
Advantages: gritty, involving, about poker Disadvantages: very tense! awkward relationships
Well I was recommended this film by someone else in my poker game, but what clinched the proposition was the amount of big stars in it. I'm not normally someone to just go for a film because of who is in it, however this time I thought a film about poker doesn't sound the most interesting of films, but if it has all these stars in it must have some merit.
Anyway I just watched it, and it turns out it does have an interesting storyline! Interesting ... ...not so interesting that it'll give you something to think about afterwards.
The basic premise is that the main character, Mike, played by Matt Damon is a good poker player. However, he loses one massive hand and quits the game. Then, 9 months later, his childhood friend / poker partner (Edward Norton) gets out of jail, and convinces him to play a couple of hands. This spells trouble for the relationship between Mike and his disapproving girlfriend.
...
Pyrokeet 22.01.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Rounders (DVD)
Advantages: Great cast and brilliant plot Disadvantages: Not for non-gamblers
Rounders is so named because it is about people who do the rounds in New York City earning their living from playing cards. It stars Matt Damon as the lead and he is an up and coming young card player who has a dream of playing in the world series of poker. The rest of the cast is excellent, even if John Malkovitch's russian accent is a lot less than convincing and at some times comedy. Ed Norton plays a great degenerate gambler scumbag, and the ... ...have no knowledge of the game of Poker and preferably some of its modern popular variants such as no-limit Texas Hold'em the explanations given in the movie are probably less than sufficient and you will need someone in the know to shed some light on some parts of the film. ...
BIGHORSE 09.08.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Rounders (DVD)
Advantages: An incredibly intelligently made film with superb acting Disadvantages: Some of the card ideas are hard to understand
I caught this film in it's premiere showing on Sky Movies last night and it was one of the best films I've seen in a long while.
The plot is quite simple. Ed Norton's character is just out of prison and owes 25,000 dollars. He and Matt Damon attempt to win this money by going back to their old ways of rounding (hustling at poker).
The lack of plot isn't really disappointing because the script itself and the ideas and intellectual nature of the ... ...and John Malkovich are superb (as usual) and they make you truly despise their characters. The film may require you whole concentration in order to comprehend it fully as there are some complex card things involved, although you should still be able to enjoy the film without fully understanding all the complex card bits. ...
doctorgroove 20.07.2000
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Review of Rounders (DVD)
Advantages: Great acting, interesting storyline which is easy to follow even if you don't understand Poker Disadvantages: none
...I think that overall Rounders is a great little film which has been sadly overlooked. It has a really good plot and manages to explore the highs and lows of poker very well. Throughout the film Matt Damon provides narration which helps to explain some of the thought process behind many of the moves which 'pros' make during a poker game; this is really helpful if you are not familiar with the rules. For instance "winning at poker is all skill and ... ...table, not the cards." The direction of the movie is predictable in some places but this does not matter because the acting is terrific; I was hooked from start to finish.
The special edition DVD can be picked up for around £7 now which is a complete bargain. Along with the film the DVD contains 2 audio commentaries. 1 is by the director (John Dahl), screenwriters and actor (Edward Norton). The other commentary is given by professional poker players ...
paddeh 14.01.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Rounders (DVD)
Advantages: Great Acting, great script, great movie! Disadvantages: there's no sequel!
Brilliant!
Rounders is a great overlooked film, i believe it was one of the factors the fueled the poker boom of 2006 Matt Damon is exellent. Edward Norton play a great supporting roll, i'll try not to give the story away, so i'll tread carefully. Rounders shows the highs and lows of being a rounder. The film can be enjoyed by all but it is 10x better if you play or understand poker, i play personally play poker and love game the game, sorry back ... ...i can watch it over and over again, the special edition can be picked up for £5 which is an abouslute bargain! On the special edition there is also a commentery from poker greats such as Phil Hellmuth, Chris 'jesus' Ferguson, johhny chan and Chris Moneymaker sharing numerous world series of poker braclets between them although the chris's don't talk much its a fantastic commentory from a pro's point of view and if thier commentating you know its ...
Royale 16.08.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Rounders (DVD)
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Master poker player Mike loses his hard-earned money in a poker game so gives it all up to study law and make a fresh start with a gorgeous new girlfriend. His troubles start, however, when his best friend gets out of prison. He has problems with a Russian card shark and Mike is drawn back to the table...
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
WALT DISNEY STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAINM; TECHNICOLOR DISTRIBUTION SERVICES, Buena Vista Home Entertainment; Technicolor Distribution Services
Set Top Game Heads Up Texas Holdem, Behind The Scenes Special, Professional Poker, Feature Commentary With Professional Poker Players, Feature Commentary With Director Screenwriters And Edward Norton, Champion Poker Tips With Four Professionals, Scene Access, 10th Anniversary Edition, Deleted scenes, Alternative ending
Dubbing Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Aspect Ratio
2.35 Wide Screen
Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital
Professional reviews
Review
"...Puts us right inside the psychological rush of the game....Makes gambling fever palpable..." -- Rating: B (Entertainment Weekly, p.59, 09/10/1998)
"...Mischievously entertaining....Jean-Yves Escoffier contributes deep-hued evocative cinematography to the overall dark allure..." (New York Times, p.E16, 11/09/1998)
"...Stylish entertainment and smartass fun..." (Rolling Stone, p.75-6, 01/10/1998)
"...Levien's script builds tension along nicely..." (Sight and Sound, p.59-60, 01/12/1998)
DVD Description
Mike McDermott (Matt Damon) is a law student who has given up his true talent (and love), gambling, when he loses all of his money to Teddy KGB (John Malkovich in a hilarious role). Months later, when his friend Worm (Edward Norton) gets out of jail and is on a strict deadline to repay a $15,000 debt to Teddy, he must decide whether or not to help his friend, threatening his student status and relationship with his girlfriend (Gretchen Mol). Tightly written, beautifully photographed by the brilliant Jean-Yves Escoffier, and well-played all across the board (particularly by Norton), this is a work of slick, enjoyable entertainment.
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