Review of High Roller: The Stu Ungar Story (2003) by Tony U — 27 Aug 2009

I love poker and its history and was intrigued by a movie about the life of poker legend Stu Ungar. The movie was told from the point of view of Stu in his final day in a dark hotel room talking to a mobster-like person evidently a sort of metaphor for the Grim Reaper who asks him about his life.

That in itself was cheesy, but aside from the flow of the movie being rather boring, given the life Ungar had, the actor casted as Stu Ungar wasn't even close to looking like, talking like, or acting like the Stu Ungar all of us got to see in his biography. He was too handsome of a person to be a stu ungar. I think Steve Buscemi would have been the perfect actor for the role.

Anyways, the story dragged and the emotions and acting weren't very convincing. The context lacked and the research by the director wasn't done very well. Too much time was spent on his life as a great gin rummy player and little on his poker career which is really what made him go down in gambling lore.

I disappointing thumbs down.