Rounders [Blu-ray]

Ed Norton is best when like in this movie, he's on the edge of being likable or of hating him. Matt Damon is as always, sharp as a tack. John Malkovich must be seen to appreciate his great acting!

One of the biggest mistakes you can make when it comes to the movie "Rounders" is assume that if you have no interest in cards or poker, or don't even know how to play the game that you'll hate the movie or have no desire to want to see it. When I first saw it a few years back, the only card game I knew how to play was blackjack, and yet there was something that really drew me in. Something that clicked for me, and now it is one of my favorite movies. One of those rare movies I could literally leave on all day.Mike makes a living and supports his tuition by grinding it out every night at the poker tables. The goal, he tells us, is to only win one big bet an hour. Still, the dream for him is to make it to the World Series of Poker and face off with the pros. That dream clouds his judgment when he faces off with a dangerous and no-nonsense taking Russian, Teddy KGB and leads him to lose every penny of his money. After that night, he swears off cards for good and promises his girlfriend that he'll never play again.Things get complicated when his buddy, Worm gets out of jail. Worm is a card player who refuses to play "straight up." He's what they call a "mechanic," meaning he usually cheats when he plays. He's got a serious debt to pay and feels the only way he can make the scratch is to play the game. Mike wants to help him out, but he's made promises, but that slowly starts to deteriorate and he ends up being in the game again. While it could very well be a blessing in disguise that Worm has gotten him back into the world of poker, the stakes couldn't be higher and he will end up putting the both of them into the worst kind of trouble.What makes "Rounders" work are the characters and the actors. You'll find a top-notch cast that includes Matt Damon, Edward Norton, John Turturro, John Malkovich and Martin Landau. All are amazing in their roles and really bring their characters to life on the screen. There will be times where you feel sorry for Norton's character and other times where you feel nothing but complete disgust and shame. I think it's one of his best performances, and "Mike" sums it up best when he says that "Worm" knows how to play the part of the loser, because he does it to absolute perfection in this film. The movie isn't about plot, or at least not a complex ones. Sometimes, those are the kinds that work out the best so long as you have an all-star cast that can make it work. Smart writing also is a gigantic help, and I'm happy to say that can be found in here as well.Some cool extra features can be found on this version of the movie, like a behind the scenes featurette, a featurette about Professional Poker, a brief "Head's Up" game that's a nice little introductory to the game and some tips from the pros. There are also two different commentary tracks. The first one features the director, writers and Edward Norton; the second features pros Phil Hellmuth, Chris Ferguson, Johnny Chan and Chris "Moneymaker." I really enjoyed listening to the commentary by the pros. They're not there to really discuss the scenes or lighting, but more about poker itself and getting inside of some of the characters' heads during some of the games.Do you have to know how to play poker to enjoy "Rounders?" Absolutely not. Will it make you want to learn the game? It's possible. It happened to me. Still, it doesn't matter if you end up wanting to play or not. This is a solid movie with great performances all around. It's no wonder that it is one of my favorites, and it is one that I will never get sick of. Take a gamble and give it a shot. -Michael Crane

I'm a poker dealer and this is our movie. So gotta give it five stars

I used to go to Las Vegas about once a year, that was until I found out I wasn't very good at gambling...and even when I did win, I had trouble knowing when to quit, and usually ended up giving whatever I gained back plus some. The trick is to only take what you could afford to lose, and stay away from the ATM machines. I guess I was what people would have called a `recreational' gambler, but there are those who do it for a living, and even manage to prosper...I guess Kenny Rogers said it best in his song The Gambler, "You got to know when to hold them, and know when to fold them..." Rounders (1998), directed by John Dahl, who later did the enjoyable thriller Joy Ride (2001), stars Matt `Babyface' Damon (The Bourne Identity) and the extremely talented Edward Norton (American History X). Also appearing in the film is John Turturro (O Brother, Where Art Thou?), Gretchen Mol (The Thirteenth Floor), Famke Janssen (Goldeneye), Martin Landau (Ed Wood), and John Malkovich (Shadow of the Vampire).First, lemme get a couple of terms out of the way. A `rounder', from what I gathered from the film, is a person who sees all the angles and makes a living playing cards. A `grinder' is a rounder, but is a cautious player, interested only in playing it safe, avoiding the big risks and possible big rewards, always satisfied in being able to make enough to live reasonably well. Damon plays Mike McDermott, a law student who earns his living playing cards. As the film begins, we see Mike entering into a high-stakes game, and losing everything in one hand. After his devastating loss, he swears off cards for good, until he's lured back into the game by his best friend Lester `Worm' Murphy (Norton) who was just released from prison and needs to make a lot of cash quick to pay off a large debt he owes to a rather nasty underworld mob, one that kept growing while he was in the stir (that's street lingo for jail, for those not in the know...actually, I'm pretty unhip, but I manage to pick up a few things here or there in an effort to sound cooler than I actually am). Now the boys are fighting the clock, chasing games to earn enough to pay off those who seem not so interested in collecting but more in putting a serious hurt on Worm (he really has the tendency to get under one's skin).I thought Damon did very well as Mike, an ex-rounder now eeking out a living by driving a delivery truck, trying to get through law school with his girlfriend (Mol). With the reappearance of his childhood friend Worm, he finds himself dragged back into the life (although he didn't seem to fight it too hard), and ultimately has to sacrifice much to extricate himself and his friend from the ever-deepening hole created by Worm as he borrows money off his friend's good reputation. I also really enjoyed Norton's portrayal of Worm, a shady, smart-mouthed scammer constantly looking for the edge (usually involving cheating) chasing the short term gains, trying to stay one step ahead of his troubles. I usually enjoy seeing Edward Norton in films as I get the feeling he's putting forth more than most, driven by a seemingly innate desire to deliver the best possible performance he can, all while making it seem so darn natural (although his role in 2003's The Italian Job seemed a bit light...I guess it's unfair to expect perfection every time at bat) . My favorite character was that of Teddy KGB, played by John Malkovich, a highly connected Russian mobster and owner and proprietor of an underworld poker den. His Russian accent is reason alone to see this film..."Paeeey thet maeen his moneeeey". While I did like all the performances and I thought all the actors were solid, I felt like Martin Landau's character of Mike's somewhat philosophical law school professor a little contrived as he seemed only there to point out a facet of Mike's character that I felt was already detailed in a more subtle manner within the film. I really didn't need his sage advice to learn what was already apparent, and I didn't think Mike did either. That's my only minor issue with this film. The dialog was excellent and snapped, utilizing all kinds of interesting colloquialisms common to the poker world, explaining meanings to the viewer enough to allow us to stay with the characters, but not treating us like we're complete idiots. The film is lengthy (121 minutes), but does move along at a good pace, rarely losing my interest.The widescreen anamorphic print on this collector's edition DVD looks immaculate, and the audio sounds clear in Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. There are two commentary tracks available, one featuring director John Dahl, screenwriters David Levien & Brian Kopplman and actor Edward Norton and a second featuring actual professional poker players. The commentary with the professionals seems a little odd, as they mainly comment on only the scenes involving poker, so there's a good deal of `dead air'. Other special features include a tutorial on how to play Texas Hold `Em, the poker game played throughout the film, along with allowing the viewer to play in an actual game. This was fun, but since it didn't keep track of winnings, it grew old quickly, but did serve as a good instructional aid to better understand the game played in the film. There's two featurettes, one being a behind the scenes and the other titled `Professional Poker', which looks at real-life poker, with interviews from professional players. Next there's Champion Poker Tips which is a bunch of short, unconnected clips featuring pros mostly doling out advice I could get from my mother, "Never bet more than you can afford to lose"...thanks...Finally there's a couple of trailers and a Miramax 25th anniversary promotional bit.Cookieman108

Ho comprato questo dvd perché è uno dei miei film preferiti. Il prodotto è arrivato come al solito in tempi celeri e perfettamente mantenuto.

Bonjour,ayant effectivement reçu le dvd "Les Joueurs"très satisfait de cet achat.Article conforme à l'annonce,neuf sous blister & emballage parfait.Cordialement,gabyes62 et merçi.

The DVD arrived in a reasonable time and was in excellent quality, no scratches at all. Will definitely shop with this seller again!

Excelente peilicula muy recomendable un clásico !!!

A very enjoyable film, although there could have been more shots of actual poker games.