Dirty Tricks

For those that like documentaries, there will be no letdown with "Dirty Tricks" which could be alternately titled "Secret Communications"

As the movie itself states, it does not go very deeply into the game of bridge and its strategy but does explain the basic premise that two teammates are required to work together WITHOUT communicating to one another. "Dirty Tricks" goes into detail to find out if there is communication happening between players, some ways in which it can/could be done and just how rampant cheating can/could be.

Not until video begins to be used for major tournaments do answers to these questions begin to be revealed.

If spending the better part of two hours listening to an Israeli bridge-playing narcissist talk about himself is your idea of a fun evening, here's your new favorite documentary. Plus, you get to watch endless home videos of the same narcissist as a young child talking about himself. And if that's not enough to sell you on this stultifying, jaggedly edited portrait of a self-absorbed bridge player, here's more good news: the soundtrack won the Most Annoying Soundtrack Ever award from the Academy of Motion Pictures Devoted to the Game of Bridge, with special mention for incorporating more Israeli rap music than any previous film. If you decide to attempt a viewing, I strongly suggest you keep the remote close at hand, with your thumb hovering above the fast forward button.

Omar Sharif had it written in his acting contracts that he could take time off to go to bridge tournaments, he took it so seriously. And my aunt played in the same tournaments with him a few times. (I'm old-er.) Bridge to them was almost a religion.

How sad that as with most things in the 21st Century, bridge has been defiled for the sake of winning. Yep. We gotta win, don't we?

I do find it oddly interesting that Boye Brogeland took up the mantel of the guardian of the gate. It seemed they all turned into villagers with pitchforks running into the night looking for the boogeymen.

Makes me glad I am not of that tribe!!!

A well done documentary about how bad looser can change change the life of a better player just by crying over and over ....he is cheating!!! He has no prove what is also shown. Another problem seems to be, Lotan is that good, most people not understand he plays.

This show is phenomenal even though it's a documentary. Soap opera-ish. And about something so unimportant to most people as the game of bridge. The drama, so much drama surrounding the card game of bridge just really wow interesting about something so trivial but not so trivial to some people. Captured so well I'm guessing by director and producer but just really really great.