I really loved this movie. Have the DVD and watch it every time it airs on the tube. If you are into Texas Hold Em, watch this movie. Really enjoyed the poker scenes; you get to see the entire hand play out when Mike plays KGB. Basically, good guy Mike is a poker hound and prides himself on reading players' "tells". He narrates his experience with playing poker, getting burned in a hand with KGB and losing everything. His BFF, Worm, also a poker hound, is getting paroled. Mike picks him up from prison because he owes Worm. Worm took a rap for him and ended up with the prison sentence; Mike is grateful that he has such a good friend. Problem is, Worm is exactly what his name means....a worm. His method of playing is cheating and he gets into trouble, a lot. Worm wants to get back into the action and making money; Mike is struggling to make his way through law school. Mike helps him find poker games. He goes out of his way for Worm, even vouching for him for his debts. In the end Worm lives up to his name and Mike gets screwed over. The boys crash the Friday night, state police poker night. Worm gets caught cheating, the guys get roughed up and kicked out; all their money gone. Mike finally lets Worm have it and sees him for what he is... a loser. Edward Norton is at his best when he plays slimy characters and he shines here. But since Mike vouched for Worm, he has to pay off his debt. He goes to KGB - Russian mafia - engages in an all nighter and wins money back to pay off Worm's debt. I do have a few annoyances with this film and although they sound significant, they in no way turn me off from it. 1) Why does Hollywood love jargon so much? The jargon in this film gets old after about 5 minutes, but we have to put up with it through the whole film. I seriously doubt the WPT players ever talk this. 2) Mike and Worm get the living daylights beat out of them at the state police game. Aside from a few scratches and some facial blood, they look great. Where's the swollen, black eye? The swollen, split lip? The contusions? The hematoma? Make up sucks in this film. 3) Final big scene - Mike is head to head with KGB. Mike needs to win at least "15 thou" to pay off Worm's debt and cover "the juice". Of course, he spots KGB's tell. He should have ignored it, he needs to win big time. But he calls KGB out. His narration indicates that he normally wouldn't so he could "bust him up all night, but he only has until morning". Stupid. If you need to win, you wouldn't expose a tell! 4) I don't like Counting Crows; lead singer's voice is whiny, melodies sound like adult nursery rhymes. Except for one song which is played during the credits. "Baby I'm a Big Star Now". Best song they ever did, great tune. However, it was never released. I have searched in vain, not a single, not on an album. Who in the world made that ridiculous business decision?

*Minor Spoilers Ahead* Mike McDermott (Matt Damon) is a law student that plays high stakes poker on the side. He's brilliant, well-versed and cocky as hell. He plays poker at an underground poker game run by Russian mobster KGB (John Malkovich). On the way to the game he talks about his style of play and what you need to do to succeed in this game. He works his way to the final table and he thinks he's got KGB beat until KGB flips his cards over with the best possible hand on the table. Mike loses his entire $30,000 bankroll. It's then he decides to change and promises his girlfriend Jo (Gretchen Mol) that he won't play poker anymore. He follows that promise and begins to succeed in school but with his former best-friend Worm (Edward Norton) getting out of jail, will he tempt Mike into his old habits?The first thing I want to talk about is the look of the film. The movie doesn't offer much in the way of flashy visuals but it captures the feel of tense poker games. The environment is sometimes dirty and there isn't enough light. People aren't terribly concerned with their appearance and there isn't always a friendly atmosphere. It's not glamorous playing in someone's basement (I'm not a pro poker player but I know my way around Texas Hold'Em) or in the back room of a bar. The grittiness of the cinematography and the tension captured in the poker playing scenes adds a feel out authenticity to the movie.I tend not to be a big fan of character pieces that centre around unsympathetic heroes. Who wants to watch some guy/girl you can't stand journey towards redemption? What this movie does so well is that while you can't always agree with Mike's decisions, he never completely crosses the line into being an unforgivable prick. He's genuinely trying to be a better person but through a combination of his own weakness and Worm constantly manipulating him, he can't turn away. I think Rounders presents a very well-written look at how hard it can be to escape your demons especially when those around you are trying to pull you down into the $#^!. This is driven-home by having Joey Knish (John Tuturro) in the movie. He does the honest work, pounds the pavement and has that control. He might not have hit it big but he gets by and I really liked the scene where he gives it right back to Mike when he essentially calls him a loser.This movie has other strengths other than the sharp dialogue and the strong characters you could relate to. If Matt Damon or Edward Norton had phoned it in, the movie would have collapsed on itself and luckily they came to play (much like their characters). Matt Damon plays it just right as Mike, he's the straight-man next to Norton but he's the perfect mix of cold and calculating without being a jerk. He helps make Mike seem believable in this scummy underworld. Edward Norton is just as good as Worm, he's that scumbag you love to hate. There are points where it's hard not to yell at the screen because he's just so frustrating. Norton's got a lot of charm but his character's unshakable belief that he's invincible made me furious. I also liked Martin Landau, John Tuturro, Gretchen Mol and Michael Rispoli in their respective supporting roles. I also like John Malkovich but this is the second movie I've seen where he can't quite nail his accent (Deepwater Horizon would be the other).Some people have complained about the ending to Rounders. I don't think it's perfect (KGB gets played pretty easily after taking Mike to school in the beginning) but I think it hits the right bittersweet balance. Mike isn't a hero, he plays KGB again when he should walk away and he leaves to go to Las Vegas in the closing minutes of the film. He also doesn't track down Worm either which I liked too. He gets out of the jam and is able to escape without ending up in a shallow grave. The movie doesn't feel the need to teach you a lesson, it trusts you to pick it up by yourself and while that can be frustrating sometimes, I thought it was kind of poignant here.I had only a few small complaints about this movie. One, Rounders can be pretty depressing. The story is predictable at points and once Mike goes down the rabbit hole, until you hit the end, you know what he's going to find isn't pretty. There are minor problems with the poker games (I mentioned above, the ending of the final game seems a little anti-climactic) but it remained pretty tense. I see why this movie was a cult-hit. It tells an interesting and contained story, it has two of the better actors of their generation putting on a clinic and while it isn't perfect it's easily one of the best films centred around this game.

Rounders (1998): Dir: John Dahl / Cast: Matt Damon, Edward Norton, Gretchen Mol, Martin Landau, John Malkovich: Intriguing concept fueled the concept of living dishonestly and the paranoia that follows. Matt Damon plays an exceedingly good card player who gambles away his tuition money but vows to quit his addiction. Edward Norton is released from prison and Damon picks him up and decides to help him raise the 15, 000 that he owes. Fine setup pays little attention to subplots involving college and his relationship ties with a narrated conclusion that doesn't cut it. Tense directing by John Dahl who also made Red Rock West. Production is standard but the casting is strong. Damon is the film's best asset playing someone who once propelled by wrong and returns to it once again with consequences. What occurs eventually his his methods of using it to free himself. Norton plays someone motivated by wrong because that is where he emerges. His solution is to retreat. Gretchen Mol plays Damon's girlfriend who helped him beat his addiction but eventually must deal with his return the only way she can. John Malkovich steals moments competing with Damon and eating Oreo cookies. Much of her story is neglected or unnecessary but she plays it with superb results. Martin Landau has a small but pivotal role as generous law professor. Theme of self analysis comes up aces high. Score: 6 / 10

Rounders is not a bad movie, but does not stand out either. Rounders is about hold 'em poker, and Matt Damon trying to help a friend, Edward Norton who Matt owes. The Norton doesn't seem to learn his lesson and always relies on others' good nature to help him out of it. He uses his friends and does not seem to care. A couple of side stories where Matt ruins a love interest, and his university. The main story line of Rounders is about dealing with, reading, and playing poker with people. The directing, acting, and story is so so! I watched Rounders off a cable channel. Would I watch Rounders again? No! Just okay. Something to do on a cold February late night. Rounders is a six out of ten. Not a good hand which one would have to bluff their way through.