In the grand scheme of things, Matt Damon’s career has been pretty great. Even his weaker films, like Rounders, have quite a bit going for them. Rounders featured a strong pairing of Damon and Ed Norton, managed to make an entertaining film about a card game that’s mostly people sitting around a table studying one another’s faces or statistics, and has John Malkovich in a performance so over the top that it’s hysterically entertaining. Sure, Rounders uses a voiceover for a mighty big crutch and has a couple of plotholes, but it’s never enough to sink the film. It’s a film that does more right than wrong and has stood the test of time as an enjoyable, if forgettable flick with a strong cast that never falters.
For years, Mike (Damon) has wagered his aspirations to be a lawyer against his skill as gifted poker player (specifically Texas Hold ‘Em). At the outset of Rounders, he finally places a bet that throws that balance into shambles as he loses his tuition money and savings in a disastrous night against Teddy KGB (Malkovich), a gambling kingpin with mafia ties. His finances in ruin, Mike swears he’s done and tries to devote his attention to his legal studies and his fellow law student girlfriend, Jo (Gretchen Mol). When he has time, he works a delivery shift courtesy of his poker mentor Knish (John Turturro), and with that his life is pretty full. And then it overflows.
His longtime friend Worm (Norton) makes parole and bursts back into Mike’s life, disrupting the fragile stability his newly established routine has given him. Worm returns eager to get back on the gambling circuit and use his ‘mechanic’ skills (his ability to cheat by physically manipulating the cards in his favor) to earn a bankroll so he can pay off his former subordinate Grama (Michael Rispoli), who bought up Worm’s debt during his incarceration and now has Teddy KGB as a partner. If Worm can’t raise tens of thousands of dollars in the span of a few days, he has to answer to a rather lethal debt collection, and so Worm draws Mike in to help him out, only to leave him holding the bag. Can Mike raise the money in time to win his friend and himself out from under Teddy KGB’s thumb?
Rounders would be nothing but a cheaply narrated story about poker without two things: a great supporting cast that has phenomenal chemistry with Damon and the presence of John Malkovich. Ed Norton usually manages to deliver magnetic performances and he’s fantastic as a manipulative weasel, because as much as you resent him for screwing up Mike’s life, he has such charisma that he’s rather entrancing to watch. When he and Damon share scenes, the lines flow with such normalcy that it’s hard to imagine a better pairing. And yet, Turturro’s brief but impactful scenes have the same amount of weight despite him being on-screen half as much. He’s wholly believable as the seasoned pro who has shifted away from a life of frivolous thrill-seeking for one of dependable income. It doesn’t have the same frills and prestige, but it’s consistent and lets him raise a family, and it’s the perfect counterpoint for Norton’s character who’s only too content to go out in a blaze of glory.
Of course, all of this is nothing in the face of Malkovich whose Teddy KGB might be one of his crowning screen achievements. He does crazy and eccentric so well, and there’s a bit of that here, but it’s the voice he affects that really makes each line so amusing. Is it too much? You bet, but never has there been a more over-delivered performance that wasn’t found in The Room. The allure of a film about poker is there, but what’s really going to keep people coming back to Rounders for years to come is Malkovich. Hell, it’s been 13 years and he’s still hilarious here.
As stated, where the film fails is in its excessive use of a voice over. The justification for it is sound, as without it there’d either be a lot of very quiet moments as Mike studies his opponents or way too much expository dialogue that would have sounded wholly awkward coming out of any character’s mouth (as opposed to their head). The other downside is the logic behind Grama’s collection scheme. If it’s proven that both Worm and Mike can earn money playing poker, why would he threaten to kill them, even if it helps maintain a reputation, if he could instead enslave them to pay off their debt at a high rate of interest, thus making him even more money.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
It’s great to have Rounders on Blu-ray, but it’s an obvious direct port of special edition DVD as it has all the same extras with nothing new. It includes a great audio commentary with Director John Dahl, Writers David Levien and Brian Koppelman, and Norton, as well as a commentary with a handful of professional poker players. Those same professionals return for a featurette where they offer up tips on playing poker, which sits alongside featurettes on the world of professional poker (which has since hit the mainstream in a very big way) and basic behind the scenes coverage.
"Rounders" is on sale August 23, 2011 and is rated R. Drama. Directed by John Dahl. Written by David Levien, Brian Koppelman. Starring Ed Norton, Famke Janssen, Gretchen Mol, John Malkovich, John Turturro, Matt Damon.
