Rounders (Collector's Edition)
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Actor: Edward Norton, John Turturro, Matt Damon, Paul Cicero, Ray IannicelliBrand: Buena Vista Home Video
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: AC-3, Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Collector's Edition, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 121 minutes
Published: 2004-09-01
DVD Release Date: 2004-09-07
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Model: 3619103
Studio: Miramax
DVD Reviews of Rounders (Collector's Edition)
DVD Review: "It's immoral to let a sucker keep his money."
Summary: 4 Stars
I used to go to Las Vegas about once a year, that was until I found out I wasn't very good at gambling...and even when I did win, I had trouble knowing when to quit, and usually ended up giving whatever I gained back plus some. The trick is to only take what you could afford to lose, and stay away from the ATM machines. I guess I was what people would have called a `recreational' gambler, but there are those who do it for a living, and even manage to prosper...I guess Kenny Rogers said it best in his song The Gambler, "You got to know when to hold them, and know when to fold them..." Rounders (1998), directed by John Dahl, who later did the enjoyable thriller Joy Ride (2001), stars Matt `Babyface' Damon (The Bourne Identity) and the extremely talented Edward Norton (American History X). Also appearing in the film is John Turturro (O Brother, Where Art Thou?), Gretchen Mol (The Thirteenth Floor), Famke Janssen (Goldeneye), Martin Landau (Ed Wood), and John Malkovich (Shadow of the Vampire).
First, lemme get a couple of terms out of the way. A `rounder', from what I gathered from the film, is a person who sees all the angles and makes a living playing cards. A `grinder' is a rounder, but is a cautious player, interested only in playing it safe, avoiding the big risks and possible big rewards, always satisfied in being able to make enough to live reasonably well. Damon plays Mike McDermott, a law student who earns his living playing cards. As the film begins, we see Mike entering into a high-stakes game, and losing everything in one hand. After his devastating loss, he swears off cards for good, until he's lured back into the game by his best friend Lester `Worm' Murphy (Norton) who was just released from prison and needs to make a lot of cash quick to pay off a large debt he owes to a rather nasty underworld mob, one that kept growing while he was in the stir (that's street lingo for jail, for those not in the know...actually, I'm pretty unhip, but I manage to pick up a few things here or there in an effort to sound cooler than I actually am). Now the boys are fighting the clock, chasing games to earn enough to pay off those who seem not so interested in collecting but more in putting a serious hurt on Worm (he really has the tendency to get under one's skin).
I thought Damon did very well as Mike, an ex-rounder now eeking out a living by driving a delivery truck, trying to get through law school with his girlfriend (Mol). With the reappearance of his childhood friend Worm, he finds himself dragged back into the life (although he didn't seem to fight it too hard), and ultimately has to sacrifice much to extricate himself and his friend from the ever-deepening hole created by Worm as he borrows money off his friend's good reputation. I also really enjoyed Norton's portrayal of Worm, a shady, smart-mouthed scammer constantly looking for the edge (usually involving cheating) chasing the short term gains, trying to stay one step ahead of his troubles. I usually enjoy seeing Edward Norton in films as I get the feeling he's putting forth more than most, driven by a seemingly innate desire to deliver the best possible performance he can, all while making it seem so darn natural (although his role in 2003's The Italian Job seemed a bit light...I guess it's unfair to expect perfection every time at bat) . My favorite character was that of Teddy KGB, played by John Malkovich, a highly connected Russian mobster and owner and proprietor of an underworld poker den. His Russian accent is reason alone to see this film..."Paeeey thet maeen his moneeeey". While I did like all the performances and I thought all the actors were solid, I felt like Martin Landau's character of Mike's somewhat philosophical law school professor a little contrived as he seemed only there to point out a facet of Mike's character that I felt was already detailed in a more subtle manner within the film. I really didn't need his sage advice to learn what was already apparent, and I didn't think Mike did either. That's my only minor issue with this film. The dialog was excellent and snapped, utilizing all kinds of interesting colloquialisms common to the poker world, explaining meanings to the viewer enough to allow us to stay with the characters, but not treating us like we're complete idiots. The film is lengthy (121 minutes), but does move along at a good pace, rarely losing my interest.
The widescreen anamorphic print on this collector's edition DVD looks immaculate, and the audio sounds clear in Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. There are two commentary tracks available, one featuring director John Dahl, screenwriters David Levien & Brian Kopplman and actor Edward Norton and a second featuring actual professional poker players. The commentary with the professionals seems a little odd, as they mainly comment on only the scenes involving poker, so there's a good deal of `dead air'. Other special features include a tutorial on how to play Texas Hold `Em, the poker game played throughout the film, along with allowing the viewer to play in an actual game. This was fun, but since it didn't keep track of winnings, it grew old quickly, but did serve as a good instructional aid to better understand the game played in the film. There's two featurettes, one being a behind the scenes and the other titled `Professional Poker', which looks at real-life poker, with interviews from professional players. Next there's Champion Poker Tips which is a bunch of short, unconnected clips featuring pros mostly doling out advice I could get from my mother, "Never bet more than you can afford to lose"...thanks...Finally there's a couple of trailers and a Miramax 25th anniversary promotional bit.
Cookieman108
Description of Rounders (Collector's Edition)
Academy Award(R) winner Matt Damon (GOOD WILL HUNTING, Best Original Screenplay, 1997; THE BOURNE SUPREMACY) and Edward Norton (THE ITALIAN JOB) star in this story of passion, risk, and the extreme price of friendship! 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). But then his best buddy (Norton) gets out of prison and in over his head with a ruthless card shark (John Malkovich -- BEING JOHN MALKOVICH). From there, Mike's strong sense of loyalty ?- and the lure of the game -? draw him back to the tables in a game he cannot afford to lose! Also starring John Turturro (O BROTHER, WHERE ARE THOU?) and Oscar(R) winner Martin Landau (ED WOOD, Best Supporting Actor, 1994).A little drunk on its own arcane exotica as a gambling movie, Rounders is a film that takes us inside a world of high-stakes card players but falls short on such essentials as character development, relationships, that sort of thing. Still, it is a real curiosity, written by a couple of guys (David Levien and Brian Koppelman) who appear to know something about the dark underbelly of card hustling for fun and profit. Matt Damon stars as a reluctant law student who can't put aside his subterranean career of playing poker and blackjack for big money. After he loses his post-grad nest egg to a weird Russian kingpin (John Malkovich)--and also loses his disgusted girlfriend (Gretchen Mol) in the process--Damon's character turns to an unreliable old buddy (Edward Norton) for a dangerous game of sharking wherever there happens to be a game underway: frat boys, cops, bad dudes, you name it. Norton appears to be living out every young actor's fantasy of re-creating Robert De Niro's prototypical head case in Martin Scorsese's Mean Streets, and while his performance is burdened by obvious quotation marks, his estimable talent still shines through. Damon's charm and intelligence bring some oomph to the curiously flat proceedings, and while his hushed, soul-bearing scenes with Martin Landau (as a law professor who takes a shine to the kid) seem gratuitous, they're still nice to watch. Behind all this is director John Dahl (Red Rock West), who is not exactly at the top of his game here but who brings his distinctive toughness to the crime-noir tone. --Tom Keogh
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