Review of Rounders (1998) by Kenr — 23 Oct 2019

If there’s a movie or its stars, that’s lost to the late ‘90’s it’s this one and its crew. This grotty swear-fest is so typical of Matt Damon and Edward Norton that it plays out like a cliché – they simply walk through their roles emulating themselves. If you’re a fan of these somewhat overrated cardboard-cut-outs then you may be ‘entertained’ (although it’s stretching the word). And, they get plenty of financial assistance from their ole mate, Harvey Weinstein. Nasty characters and sleazy situations overrun this miserable experience - leaving the feeling of needing a shower by the end. Viewers addicted to gambling or card-shark movies may feel at home with these witless lowlifes but ultimately they prove unworthy of empathy or concern.

Some may even feel they’ve just spent 2 Hrs with characters the world would be better off without. Also featured in the acting high-jinks is John Malkovich, who overdoes his chocolate biscuit eating (supposedly ‘Russian’) card-shark-guru, to borderline laughable proportions. John Turturro on the other hand (no pun intended) fares best at attempting to build on a character, along with interesting Gretchen Mol as the suffering girlfriend. For diehard gambling movie fans only.