Rounders Review

Plot Synopsis:
After losing his tuition in a high stakes poker game, Mike McDermott (Matt Damon) vows to his girlfriend Jo (Gretchen Mol) to give up poker. When his friend, Lester 'Worm' Murphy (Edward Norton), is released from prison, everything changes. Murphy drags McDermott back into the seedy poker underground to earn money to help pay back money he owes to a Russian Mobster, Teddy KGB (John Malkovich).

Review:
In Rounders, Matt Damon plays a poker savant dragged back into the seedy poker underworld. His character is basically the all-american nice guy who just happens to have crazy poker skills. He plays his part well, but he isn't anything special. The movie really belongs to Worm and Teddy KGB. Don't get me wrong, Matt Damon puts out an excellent performance, but his character just lacks the eccentricity that makes KGB and Worm so interesting. Edward Norton plays Worm, McDermott’s sleazy friend and poker companion. Throughout the movie, the audience is just begging McDermott to cut Worm loose, as he swindles his way through poker games. He’s a great character that you love to hate. Teddy KGB, played by John Malkovich, is another great character. KGB is a cheesy Russian mobster, complete with thick Russian accent, as well as an expert poker player. KGB also has all the great quotes throughout the movie. It’s rare that my friends and I can go through a night of poker without reciting at least a few of his lines from this movie.

Overall, this is an incredibly entertaining movie. Don't pick it up if you're trying to learn more about poker - that won't happen from watching Rounders. But if you're looking for an interesting movie that revolves around Texas Hold'em, this is your movie. Beware, if you're not a hold'em player, this movie might make you want to be.

-Dave

You can read more reviews on Rounders at Amazon.com (direct link).

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