Rounders (2004, DVD)

Mike McDermott is a grinder. A poker player that takes his time at the tables, going for one big hand an hour when he has the cards, and protecting his cards all other times. His playing style is to slowly grind out the hands, taking his time, and playing with the goal being to just come out ahead at the end of the night. This is what he professes to be, but the habit puts him in a risky situation right as the film opens, as we find him sitting at a table with some Russians who don't mess around at the tables. Damon serves as the narrator, explaining how he has worked hard playing poker to put himself through 2 years of law school, and how he has succeeded at grinding, but that he now wants to take a bigger risk. We soon find out that his seat at this table could alter where his character goes for the rest of the film.

Playing opposite Damon, is Edward Norton as Lester Murphy, who truly is the opposite character as Damon's McDermott. He plays his poker on the edge, using any advantage he can come up with, including mechanics that help him to cheat and set up other poker players. This life isn't a good one for a poker player to take on, and his background is nothing to write home about either. He enters the story a little later, as he is getting out of prison for something he did in his past, and McDermott comes to pick him up. Worm (his nickname) tries to draw McDermott back into the underhanded games that he plays, and is able to do it by playing the sympathy card. Worm has wracked up some debt with several unsavory characters, and if he doesn't pay back the loans with interest, he could be running the risk of setting up a table in the cemetery. Together, you have the yin and yang of poker playing, with one player who is truly gifted at the game, and the second one willing to do anything to earn a quick buck.

Now the two central characters are of course going to find trouble, and with Worm seemingly attracted to trouble, he may end up dragging McDermott down with him in the end. The story puts poker as its central theme, but it also gives a number of good sub-plots that keep the film interesting and intriguing until the end. In doing so, they use a number of great supporting characters that include John Tuturro as a wise friend and poker genius, Gretchen Mol as Damon's love interest, Martin Landau as one of his professor's at law school, and of course John Malkovich as the "Mad Russian" who owns one of the poker-bars where people go to play. Malkovich is great in this supporting role, and brings a ton to the film when he is there to steal away some scenes. You truly believe he has ties to the Russian Mafia, and even as a viewer, you feel uneasy when he is in the room with characters.

Rounders is one of the more intense poker films that I have ever seen, and Director John Dahl some an exemplary job of raising the stakes when it comes to emotion and dramatic moments in the story. The only downside to the film, is that some of the early on moments used to impress the audience aren't quite realistic or real (if you watch closely), and while the intent is to just show that Damon's character understand poker really well, it may upset real-life poker experts. It is actually the acting though, that sets this film apart from others in the same genre, and it really shows how well Damon and Norton can "become" a character and sell it to the audience as if this were actually their real selves. They sell the story, and the film does a good job of showing both the morality of its characters, and in bringing the audience some drama that isn't very predictable. I recommend this film if you are looking for a really good film about poker, or just want to see Damon and Norton shine.