Il giocatore - Rounders

I knew "Rounders" had something to do with gambling, and that Matt Damon stars in it, but not much more. So, when I watched it on DVD I was pleasantly surprised how engaging a film it is.

I am not a gambler, so maybe that is part of why I found it so fascinating. Basic story - Damon's character is a 2nd yr law student in NYC, and a good enough poker player that he has aspirations of entering and winning the million-dollar prize in the world series of poker in Lasvegas. However, Ed Norton plays his good buddy just getting out of prison. Norton's character is also a poker player, but also incorporates cheating because that just helps you make money faster. This approach gets both of them in some pretty hot water, and also deep in debt!!

Damon's character has a S.O. played by Gretchen Mol. Her distaste for gambling puts a great strain on their relationship. Will she stay, or will she move out??

And finally, John Malkovich does a wonderful job as the Russian gambler nicknamed "KGB". John Turturro is perfectly cast as Damon's friend and "street" advisor.

I simply found myself caught up in this story, anticipating the next poker game, wondering if they would all get whacked, or survive. Plus, Matt Damon has such a relaxed acting style, with that great smile of his, which makes all of his movies easy to watch.

I rate this one 8 of 10 for the well-done gambling drama depicted here.

This film is incredibly focused. There is not one throw-away line or one extra frame in the entire movie. From the first establishing shot to the final line, the production team plays it tight and aggressive. I couldn't help but think of "The Hustler" as I watched, and Damon more than survives this comparison to a young Paul Newman. His swagger and charm and the even, controlled truthfulness of his performance all serve to place him solidly in the game with any of Hollywood's best. Highly recommended.

Have to first mention the great performances by Matt Damon, Edward Norton, John Malkovich, and Martin Landeau. Good story, although Worm was one the biggest jerks I've seen interpreted on film lately. Really liked the narration of what's going on during high stakes poker matches. Talked to poker playing people who thought the game was represented well. The one-on-ones between Damon and Malkovich were terrific.

I have no idea if this movie is at all realistic (certainly so many people inhabiting this strata of the poker world can be so good looking), but at least it has the ring of verisimilitude. Not only does it show us the workings of a somewhat exotic (to me, anyway) part of the world, but it manages to do this stylishly while treating us to an interesting character study and a clever plot.

The story is about a young "rounder" who is trying to go straight by going to law school (although our first glimpse of him shows him losing all his money in a high-stakes poker game with a Russian gangster). He quits gambling for a while until a old friend (played by Norton) returns to his life and lands him in deep trouble. What I especially like about the movie is that is starts off as if this plot line is the main subject, when in fact the movie is about this person learning important things about himself. And there is a lot of information about poker...

Damon is especially impressive among a uniformly good cast.

Rounders is a story of a pair of prep school buddies, Matt Damon and Edward Norton, who are a pair of poker sharks. Damon's used his winnings to pay for law school and Norton's gone on to other enterprises like identity theft which has landed him a stretch in prison.

Damon after being taken to the cleaners by Russian mob guy John Malkovich has given up poker for law school. Norton's finishing his stretch in the joint and as it turns out he owes Malkovich some heavy duty debt. He's needing some help, especially after leg breaker Michael Rispoli gives Norton a sample of what he can expect.

Damon owes Norton as well for not ratting him out on some prep school scam that could have gotten him expelled like Norton. Needless to say he goes back into the life.

I'm willing to wager (no pun intended) that because Rounders came out right after Good Will Hunting that this was a project intended for Damon and Ben Affleck. I think Ben probably showed good sense in thinking he was not quite right for the role. Certainly Norton who plays some really edgy characters was far better for the role of Lester 'Worm' Murphy.

Damon does all right for himself as the standup Mike McDermott. He also because he discharges the debt he owes Norton, realizes that he should follow his dream as well. What it is and how the film ends I won't say, but if you have a dream you have to follow it because you won't know if you don't try.

In addition to everything else Rounders is quite a look into the world of professional gambling. As Damon says even if you play it honest, it's far more skill than luck. You read the opponent, not the cards.

Rounders was a great career followup to the acclaimed Good Will Hunting for Matt Damon. Even if you're not a gambler by nature, this film will fascinate one.