By Edward Brown

Rounders is an inspiring film that reminds you to always bet on yourself. And whether we want to admit it or not, everything in life is a gamble. *I can beat this tractor trailer to the merge point.* *This gas station sushi looks fresh enough.* *There’s no way she’s going cheat on me AGAIN!* One could argue that the ability to assess probabilities is more crucial to carving out a fulfilling life than other, more highly touted life skills. Rounders is ostensibly a movie about poker players and their degeneracy, but its story delves into the complexity of taking chances and persevering though failure(s). Rounders gives earnest insight into the highs that come with success while exploring how it feels to wallow in the lows.

Rounders follows Mike McDermott (Matt Damon) as he navigates New York’s shady, underground poker scene. Mike is a talented player (grinding his way through law school): It’s not the most exciting premise on paper, but the movie does a good job of challenging you to figure out if he’s too smart for his own good or just one lucky break away from raking it all in. And that’s what makes the film interesting. The practical person in you wants him to be a normative professional, but the degenerate in you wants him to go for gambling glory. Damon offers a confident, composed performance that entices you into the nuances of that conundrum. You enjoy watching him succeed as much as you enjoy watching him struggle.

And much of his struggle exists because of his cookie-cracking nemesis, Teddy KGB (John Malkovich). Malkovich doesn’t get a ton of screen time, but he is captivating when he does. He looks exactly the way you would imagine a Russian mobster would: 1980s tracksuit and all! He nails Teddy’s Slavic accent. "Check. Check. Check." His measured composure is menacing, and his villainous catchphrases are just awesome. “In my club, I will splash the pot whenever the fuck I please.” He’s funny with a subtly that is uniquely Malkovichian. The film leaves you wanting to see more of him, and that’s a great thing. Because the meat and potatoes of the movie is the relationship between Mike and his (fuckup of a) friend, Worm (Edward Norton).

Edward Norton is easily one of the best actors of our generation and he proves that in Rounders. Norton's portrayal of Worm is dynamic and compelling. In any given moment, Worm has the charisma of a scrupled car salesman or the reckless abandon of a car thief. That moral ambiguity makes Worm so beguiling. Throughout the film, Norton literally worms his way through life. Manipulating and entrapping people in his gambling addiction and shady dealings. But despite Worm's obvious flaws and questionable decisions, Norton infuses the character with humanity and vulnerability. That allows us to empathize with him. The dynamic between Mike and Worm drives the film's plot, and Norton's fantastic performance allows you to develop a visceral feel for what a foil character is.

And this is all accomplished through cinematography that poignantly captures the mood and atmosphere of a murky world. The use of low-key lighting, shadowy interiors, and muted color palettes helps convey the clandestine nature of underground poker. Close-up shots of the players' cards and faces intensify the drama and suspense of games. The camera often lingers on characters' expressions and body language. That allows you to feel the tension of most scenes in an intrinsic way. John Dahl, the film’s director, also allows you to experience New York City in a way that feels real. NYC is not just Manhattan or the Upper East Side. It’s gritty, it’s filthy, it’s filled with people just trying to grind out a living with whatever skills they have. 

Rounders is available to stream on Paramount+.