Rounders

Pros: Damon and Norton, great supporting cast, strong film, good themes that are cyclical
Cons: may be too much poker for some

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 ...

Pros: slick, thoughtful, with interesting plot twists and dazzling performances
Cons: Like it's main character, the film struggles to be more than it is.

Is there a version of the auteur theory for actors? If not, there should be. Novice actors like to think they could play any part, take on any role. More often than not, this has led to some very earnest flops, what you'd expect if Batman were played ...

Pros: Great cast with good poker scenes and finally some DVD extras
Cons: Mol is wasted and the plot is somewhat predictable

There is no doubt that poker is experiencing a huge renaissance. ESPN just finished up with its 2004 World Series Of Poker coverage and the Travel Channel’s World Poker Tour will be starting their third season soon. Both Bravo and Fox Sports have their ...

Pros: Great cast, great story, exciting, great pacing
Cons: None

I really don’t care what anyone says, poker is a game of skill. I’ve spent countless hours in front of five cent keno machines waiting to hit 9 out of 10 or even 7 out of 7. It may happen once in a very great while, but not very often. It ...

Pros: Damon, realistic script, situation, and climax.
Cons: Norton, and the fact that I'm getting sick of SGM's.

The last “big” poker movie to be released in the United States was Rounders, which some of my friends tell me is a popular topic of conversation among poker players, while other friends don’t even mention it. In fact, most people ...

Pros: Matt Damon, Ed Norton, John Makovich, poker
Cons: may cause a desperate urge to gamble

So last night I was just starting to make my jumbled-up notes come together into a brilliant assignment, when I wandered over to the television to see what was going on. I walked in just as my buddy popped Rounders into the video, and I didn’t ...

Pros: a good story. some unexpected twists.
Cons: over the top performance by Malkovich. Not the best work of the others.

My friend Misha is a big fan of both Matt Damon and Edward Norton. While I do not dislike either of them, I am far less enthusiastic about the projects they sometimes select. In the end, however, I end up seeing most of what both actors do sooner or...

Pros: outstanding performances; excellent use of mood; very suspenseful and detailed screenplay
Cons: At times a bit melodramatic and predictable

There have been countless crime films both past and present that evoke the "noir" mood, that is, the dark, shady atmosphere where the vices of the world become more fascinating on screen than they would in real life. "Rounders" is exactly the kind of ...

Pros: Mostly accurate poker, compelling story
Cons: Overemphasizes cheating, grifter aspect.

In the annals of history, there are a fair number of movies that involve poker as a relevant plot device. Comparably, there are very few movies actually about poker. Worse, they are all indescribably bad when it comes to accurately portraying the...

Pros: Most everything. A compelling film.
Cons: Gretchen Mol (I think). The DVD extras.

Plot & Script Rounders tells the story of Mike McDermott (Matt Damon), who was once a ...

Pros: Fine cast, beautiful photography,ending not predictable
Cons: none

The movie "Rounders" is a very tense and sharp story with beautiful photography and a lot of poker jargon.

The movie starts with law student, Mike McDermot, (Matt Damon) a "poker wiz" who can read other player's minds,...

Pros: Best poker action in any movie ever made
Cons: they should have casted poker players, not actors

The person who wrote the script for Rounders was very knowledgeable when it came to poker and how it is played. Everyone else in the movie wasn't. If you're a serious poker player you've probably already seen this movie, if you haven't, I suggest y ...

Pros: Great acting performances by all. Interesting. Edgy. Well-paced. Intense.
Cons: None.

Rounders stars Matt Damon, who plays a law student who is an exceptional poker player, Edward Norton, a good friend of his who is also a card player, Martin Landau, a law professor, and, Gretchen Mol, who plays Matt Damon's live-in girlfriend. The movie ...

Pros: great ensemble acting
Cons: not a lot of suspense; Malkovich's "Russian" accent

"Rounders" is like a low-risk, low-key poker player who doesn't win a lot of big hands, but somehow ends up with the pot at the end of the game. In this enjoyable film, the pleasure is not in watching the poker itself, but in observing the...

Pros: Solid performances from Damon, Norton, and Malkovich, gets us inside the world of professional poker
Cons: Nothing else seems to matter; the movie isn't quite what it could have been

I don't play cards. Or at least, not the kind that the characters in Rounders play. I do a little spades, a few games of hearts, and maybe even a little rummy from time to time, but I've never been a real card player. To me, the idea of winning...