Review of Shade (2003) by Rick E — 10 Jun 2004

Shade explores the shady sub-culture of grifters and cardsharps in the world of high-stakes gambling, a dangerous place where no one can be trusted and everyone is in danger of becoming a mark. Damien Nieman?s leisurely paced drama is filled with neat little twists and turns as its cast of characters plot a big payoff by rigging a poker game ? a feat that becomes complicated by personal agendas.

Shade features fine performances from Sylvester Stallone & Thandi Newton, but it is Gabriel Byrne and Stuart Townsend who really stand out. Byrne is the seasoned professional orchestrating the scam while Townsend is the young ?mechanic?, working tricks with the cards to turn games in his favor. There is history between these two, with Newton?s character at the center of some hard feelings. Byrne and Townsend do a nice job of conveying the uneasy tension between them as they work together. Melanie Griffith is wasted in an underwritten part that just as easily could have been left on the cutting room floor. Her presence adds nothing to the film and her part seems like it was added at the last minute to provide her with a gig.

The pacing is a bit too slow at times but, in general, the plot moves along nicely. Nieman uses a technique that is becoming slightly overused by filmmaker?s of late, namely the overlapping of plot lines from different perspectives wherein we view a scene and then cut back to that same scene a bit later where it picks up from a different character point of view. Here, it is used quite effectively as we begin to realize that characters are plotting against one another and pulls together the many deceptions taking place.

The cinematography is wonderful, making use of authentic locations (including California?s famed Magic Castle) to provide a healthy dose of realism and grittiness. Nieman made a choice early on not to use cut-aways or hand doubles for the card tricks, instead opting to bring in experts to teach Townsend and the other cast members their techniques. It?s a choice that pays off in spades, adding important dimension and heightened realism to the card games.

Shade is newly out on DVD in 2.35:1 widescreen anamorphic and 5.1 Dolby Digital. Extras include a fascinating feature detailing the card tricks and techniques used in the film and a nice making-of feature.

I was pleasantly surprised by Shade. With it?s unpredictable storyline, solid performances, and interesting direction, Shade is definitely worth gambling on.