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Rating: The film I want to talk about today has absolutely nothing special, and I could describe it with the insignificant, yet overused, adjective cute, meaning a decently made work, unoriginal in the screenplay, but well acted. I'm referring to "Rounders" from 1998. Why spend time describing it? First of all, because much worse films have been released and watching it might help you spend a couple of pleasant hours, provided you are not searching for something extraordinary. The second reason that compels me to write is that, after talking with some of my friends who are lovers of "Blockbuster" (low-commitment commercial productions), I noticed how this film is relatively unknown (in fact, I caught it on TV late at night) despite having all the qualities to be appealing to a broad audience.
The poker table, particularly American poker, is the undisputed protagonist. Mike (Matt Damon), a sharp young man working his way through law school, has a passion for poker but, after getting burned and losing an unspecified $30,000 to the not-so-reassuring "KGB" (John Malkovic), he decides to quit cards. He promised the perfect girl of the moment (hot, intelligent, wise, understanding, etc.), and everything is going just right. You'll agree with me that given the prospects of a future comfortable and happy family, something had to happen to spice up the situation and avoid putting us to sleep. And here comes Mike's rebellious friend, "Worm" (Edward Norton), fresh out of prison, with whom he shared the most reckless years of his life. Already from the nickname, whose Italian translation is "worm," it is clear that he is not a saint. Five minutes in, and we realize we weren't wrong, and with extreme ease, he manages to mess up the life that Mike has worked so hard for, etc. The film, from this point, follows the predictable path of a downward spiral.
Mike goes back to playing, financially covers his friend's debts, loses the girl, and ruins his studies. Do you really want me to tell you the whole film? Worm's growing debts (he slips away) end up on Mike's shoulders. Here is the real plot twist I never saw coming (for the record, I'm being sarcastic) as our hero ends up right where he started: at "KGB's" (red) poker table to settle the debt...
Critiques:
As you might have understood, we are facing an unoriginal plot, disguised behind a euphemistic "linear", intertwined with the allure of the poker table. It's a circular structure: a calm situation, this is disrupted, and then there is a search for the initial balance.
The film has a decent pace, especially with Norton's entrance, who upstages Damon with his excellent portrayal of the Worm character, rendered as wickedly deceitful, opportunistic, and slimy as possible. Mike should be a more controversial character in that from a good guy at the film's start, he should transform by resurfacing his past. Matt Damon offers a standard, one-dimensional performance, in my humble opinion. The cast is enriched by two other prominent figures. John Malkovic (the Russian mobster Mike will face off against) holds court single-handedly with his composure in eating and "listening" to cookies during the final game. A regrettably minor role is given to John Turturro, whom I adore as an actor.
I appreciated the fact that a lot of space is given to the games in this film. It's from these scenes that the best lines come out "if you can't spot the sucker in your first half-hour at the table, then you are the sucker." The final act is meticulously crafted, and it might tempt you to start playing: be careful!
The director (John Dahl) gives us the usual American good-spirited moral: the easy road (cheating, in this case) doesn't pay off; instead, you must work hard and earn the help of true friends to find yourself.
Conclusion:
Minimalist direction, linear screenplay for an extremely simple film. The actors' skills support an honest work that can offer two hours of good entertainment in a drama/action mix genre.
Rating: 2 and a half stars (I put 3 for good measure).
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