Rounders -: Starring Matt Damon and Edward Norton

Although never a box office smash hit, Rounders has gained a steady cult following since its release in 1998. The film follows New York law student Mike McDermott (Matt Damon) as he struggles to choose between loyalty to his girlfriend Jo (Gretchen Mol) and his best friend “Worm” (Edward Norton). The result is a dark insight into the criminal underworld of New York, whereby the only way out for Mike what put him there in the first place – poker.

The film starts with a naïve Mike losing his entire $30,000 bankroll and college fund to crime boss Teddy KGB (John Malkovich). Devastated, he vows never to play poker again, much to the relief of girlfriend Jo. Unfortunately, a cruel twist ensures that the game against Teddy KGB wasn’t to be the end of Mikes playing career as he had planned.

After nine months of playing it straight and earning an honest living to pay off his college debt, Mike learns that his best friend “Worm” is due to be released from prison. Unfortunately, Worm is also carrying a $15,000 gambling debt which is about to be upped to $25,000 by his ex-partner, Gramma (Michael Rispoli), and Teddy KGB, and is expected in full within 48 hours.

It doesn’t take long before Mike is back at the tables in a bid to save his best friend, despite breaking his promise to Jo leading to their inevitable break-up.

Having angered Gramma, Mike has to step in and vouch for Worm, burdening himself with co-responsibility for the debt. Old habits die hard though, and it isn’t long before Worm is back to his old ways and cheating anyone and everyone at the tables in an attempt to raise the necessary cash to pay off his debt.

Having been caught cheating and subsequently failing to accumulate the necessary funds to pay off his debt, Worm decides to leave town and encourages Mike to come with him. However, Mike is determined to stay and settle the debt once and for all.

Mike manages to raise $10,000 courtesy of a very understanding Professor at his Law School and makes one last trip back to where it all began – Teddy KGB. Can Mike overcome the ghosts of his past and beat Teddy this time around to save himself or will history repeat itself?

Rounders is by no means a bad film, though perhaps features too many poker clichés for its own good. The plot itself is reasonable, if a little predictable in places, and good performances from Damon and Norton make this a worthwhile watch. As expected, there is a level of suspense added in places, particularly at the tables when waiting for the final turn of the card. At times, the table scenes do drag on a little, and perhaps cutting the length of one or two now and again wouldn’t have detracted from the overall effect.

There is even a glimpse of poker legend Johnny Chan, who plays a very brief role in the film, adding a little spice to the proceedings.

Personally, I enjoyed the film, though I can’t help feeling that I’ve seen it all before. Having watched classics such as The Cincinnati Kid, it is difficult to rate Rounders all that highly. The performances from Damon and Norton alone are enough to warrant watching the film, though if you are expecting to see a poker classic, I’m afraid you’re going to be a little disappointed.

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