Rounders

Plot synopsis:
Gifted poker player and law student Mike McDermott (Matt Damon) dreams of playing in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) and sitting next to his idol Johnny Chan. Unfortunately, Mike loses his entire $30,000 bankroll after being outplayed in a hand of Texas hold'em against Teddy "KGB" (John Malkovich), a Russian mobster who runs an illegal underground poker room. Shaken, Mike decides to concentrate on law school while promising his girlfriend and fellow law student Jo (Gretchen Mol) that he will not play poker anymore. Mentor and fellow rounder Joey Knish (John Turturro) offers McDermott a part-time job driving a delivery truck to make ends meet.
Time passes and Mike stays true to his promise. He focuses on school and work until his childhood friend Lester "Worm" Murphy (Edward Norton) is released from prison. While Mike is a card player, Worm is a hustler who often cheats to win. He also owes an outstanding debt accumulated before his incarceration. While Mike looks down on Worm's cheating, Mike was involved in the activity that got Worm imprisoned. Mike feels indebted to his childhood friend, so he takes him under his wing after his release from prison. Worm's old business partner, Grama, has now partnered with Teddy KGB and bought up his outstanding debt. At Worm's influence, Mike is soon rounding again, which interferes with his studies and hurts his relationship with Jo.
Worm is given a five-day deadline to pay off his debt and Mike joins him in a furious race to earn the money. Worm wants to cheat to win, but Mike insists on playing the game straight. Playing in several card games in and around New York City, the two nearly make the $15,000 needed. Worm joins a game against Mike's recommendation out of town hosted by New York State Troopers. Worm then gets caught "base-dealing" (dealing favorable cards from the bottom of the deck). They are beaten up and their entire bankroll is taken. After this, Worm, not wanting to face his problems, decides to flee New York City, and he advises Mike to do the same.
Mike refuses to leave, and with the help of a $10,000 loan from his law school professor Petrovsky (Martin Landau), Mike challenges Teddy KGB to a second game of heads-up, No-Limit Texas Hold'em. Mike beats Teddy in the first session, and has enough money to pay off Worm's debt along with half of the $10,000 he'd borrowed from Petrovsky. As he is about to leave, KGB taunts Mike, and points out that Mike has won back only some of the $30,000 that he had initially lost.
Mike hesitates before agreeing to play again, which would risk all of the money and possibly his life, as losing would leave him unable to pay Grama and KGB. As the night wears on, Mike is on the verge of losing all of his chips. Mike suddenly spots a tell, a repeated behavior that allows him to know the value of Teddy's hand. Teddy KGB is furious when he realizes this, and goes on "tilt", meaning he is playing very poorly. This lack of focus allows Mike to outplay Teddy for the rest of his chips.
Mike settles Worm's debt, repays the $10,000 loan from his law professor, and restores his original bankroll of "three stacks of high society." Mike drops out of law school, says goodbye to Jo, and makes his way to Las Vegas with dreams of winning the World Series of Poker Main Event.

Tags: cult, neo noir

Review:
Rounders is I believe, one of the most widely underrated movies of our time.I first saw this movie as it was a 'bonus DVD' thrown in for free with my DVD player back in 2000, so naturally I didn't expect much (as the other bonus DVD's were very mediocre), but what I found was a very enjoyable movie.At that stage in my life, I had only played a little poker as a child growing up, and never 'Texas Hold'em' so to be honest, a lot of the terminology went 'over my head', but even so, the film became an instant favorite of mine purely because of the performances.The film has so much star power, and yet none of the fine actors try to 'steal' scenes.
and then the fine supporting cast of Turturro, Jansen, and Mol.In fact, there is a scene with Martin Landau and Matt Damon that is perhaps one of the most beautiful performances I have seen in a long time between two very fine actors.So even if you're not a poker player, the story is tighter than a lot of Hollywood 'pop fluff' and the performances alone can sell the film as an enjoyable movie capable of multiple viewings.But ...
if you start playing poker and get really into what they are talking about, and reading about poker theory (like Doyle Brunson's book Super System) then the movie moves up to a whole different level.A lot of the time, Hollywood will attempt to cover a specialized error, and usually fail, or at best only partially succeed, whereas Rounders managed to get everything 'spot on', just look at the US DVD, it has a commentary track from 4 World Champion Poker players, if that's not a stamp of approval then I don't know what is.When you factor in how the film can be enjoyed by someone who has little to no idea about Poker (as I did when I first saw the film) just because of the tight story and stellar performances and also be 'immortalized' by poker enthusiasts as the best movie ever made on the subject (and truth be told, a big reason why the World Series of Poker has been doubling it's entries year after year) ...
You have Matt Damon, Edward Norton, John Malkovich, John Turturro, Gretchen Mol, Famke Janssen, Martin Landau and some small roles by Melina Kanakaredes (of "Providence") and Goran Visnjic (of "ER").
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.
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.
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..
Have to first mention the great performances by Matt Damon, Edward Norton, John Malkovich, and Martin Landeau.
However when his best friend "Worm" (Edward Norton) is released from jail, the two embark on a cards-journey that leads them from success to misfortune after Worm is caught cheating and the man who caught him (John Malkovich) wants his money back.Whereas Ben Affleck continues to go downhill after "Good Will Hunting," Matt Damon has striven uphill, taking on daring productions such as "The Talented Mr. Ripley," "The Bourne Identity" series, and of course "Rounders," which features one of his best performances.
Damon has become typecast as some sort of bad actor in the league of Affleck, but he's much better than his pal, and films like this prove it.Norton is once again superb as one of his characters you love to hate.
He's got the character of Worm down pat, and it really elevates the acting (along with Damon) to a level of greatness.The film is directed and written very well, offering realistic dialog and gritty environments.
However the flaws of the movie are its long running time (two hours exactly), which could have been shortened, and probably the fact that its card playing is sometimes a bit alienating to the audience.That said, this is still a very underrated movie featuring outstanding performances and a unique spin on gambling flicks.
The addition of Martin Landau as a Jewish lawyer who gives Damon a mitzvah as a kind of honor paid to continue a favor once given him is a touching part of the larger plot, making you wish there was more of this somehow, more of something genuine and a bit different.It might not have helped that I recently saw "Croupier" with a young Clive Owen as a poker dealer, because that movie, whatever its simplicity and other limitations, actually made the poker scenes more real for me.
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).
Considering how Hold 'Em has developed into one of the biggest social fads in the last decade, I would say that this film captures every emotional aspect the 'swings' of No Limit typically carry.I had absolutely no idea how to play the game when I first saw this movie about five years ago.
I enjoy watching the television presentations, but not nearly as much as a lot of my friends, and even I can now name about thirty of the prominent players by name without drawing a breath or pondering.In the days of the movie, and preceding, the singular "World Series of Poker" was held in Vegas annually, at Binion's, and paid $1-million to the winner.
In just eight years, it has become sort of a "classic," a depiction of an earlier period ("the old days"), of its subject matter - something that usually takes a play, book or film, say, 30 or 40 years to do.Damon, Norton, Malcovich, Tuturro, Landau - and all the rest of the cast - are outstanding and engaging in their roles.There is one final aspect which those more interested and experienced in serious poker (even if well-below the $1,000,000 level) can appreciate, too.
{In the story, even John Malcovich's character, "KGB," the proprietor of the "non-licensed" poker room, and a Russian gangster, admits in the finale that Matt has "...beat me straight up; pay him (he pronounces it 'heeem'); pay that man his ('heees') money ('mooohney').
If you like poker - and more and more people seem to be playing it or watching it on TV - you might want to check out this movie.
I like poker, I like actors Matt Damon, Edward Norton, Gretchen Mol, Famke Janssen, John Turturro, John Malkovich and Martin Landau.
Rounders is a more of a character study and both Norton and Damon play their roles great.
Until the 27th time I had no idea how to play Texas hold'em (NONE WHATSOEVER!) or any other game mentioned in the movie.The reason why I believe it is the greatest movie of all time are : phenomenal cast (everyone seems to agree with that), good story and the sheer moral of the movie (do what you want with your life).
Towards the beginning of the film, Mike McDermott (Matt Damon) chats with his girlfriend and fellow law student (Gretchen Mol) about his world of poker-playing, and she says that she can't believe that her boyfriend associates with someone named "Worm" (Edward Norton).
And there is Mike McDermott, poker player or "rounder", who inhabits the world of card sharks which seems like another planet when compared to the world of the law school.
(A hangar" is a cheated deal in which certain cards are dealt from the bottom of the deck to a particular player or players to either advantage or disadvantage their hand(s).) Much of the film is about their relationship, and how a scam got Worm busted before the story begins and how the two have to fight to get out of a much larger predicament than governmental authorities.The world of the law students, which ends up playing second fiddle to the poker world, includes McDermott's girlfriend and one of the professors, played by Martin Landau.
At the end, when Matt Damon defeats KGB, you want to find the nearest gambling joint...But the film does show us the dangers of the world of gamblers and card sharks.
In an era when special effects are the only rationale for so many films, it's nice to watch one which relies on old fashion acting ability.In "Rounders", a law student, played by Matt Damon, has a weakness for poker, which leads him into the underworld of professional cutthroat gamblers, with predictable consequences.
For the role of Mike McDermott in "Rounders", I would have preferred a lesser known actor, one with more of an "edge", rather than the well-known and boyish looking Damon.Overall, this is an OK film to watch once, especially for the fine acting..
A few minutes into the movie, the impression you get of Mike Dermott (Matt Damon) is definitely not of someone who is a seasoned poker player, but of a nervous kid out there to lose all he has (it is remarkably amateurish the way he loses the last deal).
If you like poker, Matt Damon, Edward Norton or John Malkovich then there is a very good chance you're going to like this movie.For poker fans there are some great scenes that you'll just love, whatever your level of play.
Matt Damon, Ed Norton, John Malkovic looked a great cast for starters, its about poker, decent looking love interest - even better.The story and characters draw you in immediately, the scene is set although not giving too much away.
Matt Damon holds the film together comfortably with some strong supporting performances especially from Malkovic.Poker is the main theme of the movie, the question mark over the rights and wrongs of gambling, the obvious skills and intelligence that these professional poker players have.
It wasn't high rollled by an internet site looking to cash in on the poker craze; it's just a grimy, grim, and effective film about poker and poker players with a little back story but mainly strong performances especially from Norton who really is Worm.The story of the reformed gambler who finds himself sucked back in to pay off debts that aren't his is very well handled and one of its great points is that it's all done without melodrama.Just a great film about gambling, New York, and the guys who play Poker.
Rounders is a story of a pair of prep school buddies, Matt Damon and Edward Norton, who are a pair of poker sharks.
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.
Edward Norton, Martin Landau, John Malkovich, and especially the main lead, Matt Damon did there roles very well and without their great performances, the film would be a let down.
A great story about a young man (Matt Damon) , that tries to find a way to help his friend "Worm" (Edward Norton) pay off shark loans and risking everything!.
Now I understand that Matt Damon and Edward Norton were still relatively young in their popularity when the movie came out but I believe that makes their unselfish performances even more noteworthy.Aside from the brilliant acting from the main characters right on down to the smallest bit player, the film has a seamless flow throughout.
All-in-all, Rounders is an excellent film whether you are an avid poker nut like myself or somebody who just wants to see a great movie with an outstanding plot and beautifully developed characters..
The characters and the acting are incredible, from Damon (Mike) to Norton (Worm) to Malkovich ("Teddy KGB") to Landau (Prof.
Malkovich as KGB was an excellent adversary to our poker playing hero Matt Damon and Norton was an excellent foil.
Poker is a very complex skill game and many times during the movie, Rounders will tell you this.Anyway, Rounders is about a hardcore poker player Mike McDermott (Matt Damon) who quits the game after he loses it all in a hand of No Limit Texas Hold 'Em at a shady club run by Russian Mafia man Teddy KBG (John Malkovich).
When Mike learns that his newly-out-of-prison friend Worm (Edward Norton) owes several thousand dollars to a couple of loan sharks, he gets back in the game and the two set out to make a big score and settle their debts.I highly recommend this movie for anyone who's in the least bit interested in poker..
"Rounders" tells the story of Mike, Matt Damon, who's putting himself through law school playing Texas hold 'em, much to the consternation of his girlfriend, Gretchen Mol, who gets him to swear off gambling after one particularly bad loss.
Besides doing a great job explaining the game itself and how the best players think about the game (there's on great little scene when Mike is rewatching an old VHS copy of the World Series of Poker and talking about Johnny Chan's play at the with a fellow rounder), the audience gets an insider look at how this secret world operates and the type of people who populate it, which ranges from skilled players like Mike who are willing to risk it all, to skilled cheaters like his friend Worm, to dangerous gangsters like Teddy KGB or his various thugs, or the workers at these gambling dens like the pretty Petra (the underused Famke Janssen), to "grinders" like John Turturro's Joey Knish, who Damon describes as, "a New York legend.
Mike McDermott: I don't blame you, put a guy like me in that game, cards don't even matter I'll play it blind.Mike's voice over narration is filled with great tidbits that reek of authenticity (although I admittedly don't know all that much about gambling, but it sounded real to me), such as:In "Confessions of a Winning Poker Player," Jack King said, "Few players recall big pots they have won, strange as it seems, but every player can remember with remarkable accuracy the outstanding tough beats of his career." It seems true to me, cause walking in here, I can hardly remember how I built my bankroll, but I can't stop thinking of how I lost it.Or You can shear a sheep many times, but skin him only once.OrIt's immoral to let a sucker keep his money.
After losing a high-stakes card game, Mike (Damon) gives up gambling for law school and a fresh start with his girlfriend (Gretchen Mol - Cradle Will Rock).
Mike Mcdermott (matt Damon) is reformed gambler who's friend 'Worm' (Edward Norton) has just been let out of prison.
Unlike some, I thought Matt Damon was quite good in the lead, and Norton was a hoot as his best friend, as was Malkovich as KGB.
Starring Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting and SPR) and Edward Norton (chilling supporting actor nominee for Primal Fear) with a superb supporting cast including John Turturro as Kinish, John Malkovich as KBG and Martin Landau as Professor Petrovsky, Rounders follows a card shark on the "rounds" from one poker game to the next in New York's underbelly back halls and clubs.
Known as a great "reader" of people, Damon (Mike McDermott) has made his money for his law school education by using his skills at the poker table.
Norton and Damon make a good team and Malkovich (always superb) outdoes himself here while Landau could well earn a supporting actor nomination for two of this year's films - X-Files: The Movie and Rounders.Rounders will make you think twice about ever sitting down at a poker table again.
The bottom line of this movie is that it was a vehicle to try and further Matt Damon's career (and perhaps to prove that he can act sans best friend, Ben Affleck.) It only proves that he is a somewhat charming kid who is playing himself in every role..
I've always been a Matt Damon fan, and Edward Norton is obviously an impressive actor, but even they could not carry this film about a retired pro card player forced to get back into the game to clear his debt.
While Worm is in prison Mike McDermott (Matt Damon) loses his law school tuition, rent money, and everything else when he gambles $30,000 dollars in a high-stakes poker game.
A young law school student (Matt Damon) is a reformed gambler who must return to playing big stakes poker to help a friend (Edward Norton) pay off loan sharks.If there is a weak spot in this movie, it is John Malkovich.
It's oldish now but the story is still excellent and I loved seeing a (very fresh faced) Matt Damon who plays a law student trying to avoid his former life of underground high stakes poker (after losing everything) and live the straight life with his girlfriend.When his friend "Worm" (Edward Norton) is released from prison 'Mike' unwittingly gets drags back into the high-stakes poker world to help pay off loan sharks and eventually faces off against his arch nemesis "KGB" -who is played awesomely by John Malkovich.
Mike McDermott (Matt Damon) is a card player who loses it all to KGB (John Malkovich).
Also although John Malkovich only has few scenes but for some reason I liked watching the few scenes he was in playing the mad Russian card player KGB.7.5/10