Blu-ray Review: ROUNDERS - Pacey, Stylish Poker Film
Rounders’ flaws are too blaring for it to be considered great, but it shouldn’t be considered terrible either. Its pacey plot and stylish cinematography maintain the drama even after its characters stagnate and it does look and sound amazing on Blu-Ray. A must for poker fans, a maybe for everyone else.
At the epicentre of the sudden wave of fandom that saw even clothing outlets stocking poker sets in the gift section, Rounders tells the story of two street-smart grifters (Matt Damon & Ed Norton) scratching a living out of New Yorks underground card circuit. Director John Dahl drops his previous film noir sensibilities to deliver this almost cautionary (but not quite) expose into the scathing lives of card sharks. After squandering his life savings in a back alley high-stakes poker game, Mike McDermott (Damon) quits the tables, losing himself in his law degree. Clean for nine months, it isnt long before Mike meets up with Worm (Norton) whos fresh from a stint in prison. Worm is clearly a questionable influence (as if the name werent a signifier) and it doesnt take much for him to dissuade Mike from his poker abstinence. Although Damon does his best to convey a type of personality that might be attracted to a life of full-time cards, hes not really given much in the way of a subjective story to tell. McDermott is likeable enough, thanks to Damons seemingly effortless charm, but he readily spouts analogical poker philosophy in place of any real applicable wisdom. He seems to just roll with the punches, acting always in accordance with the plot and never with any real sense of moral judgement. This is one of the Rounders' major shortcomings; it completely skirts around morality and seems to favour a reverence to poker that takes precedent over any real arcing character development. 
Ed Norton tackles the role of Worm with roguish relish and is admittedly the more compelling of the two leads. Acting as the catalyst to McDermotts fall from the wagon, Worm is given more of a directly influential presence in the narrative; he has a debt that the pair must pay off, he makes questionable plays that are met with violence and he generally makes the decisions that drive the plot. He never learns from the consequences of his actions though and despite the fact that hes the more interesting of the pairing he still suffers from a distinct lack of any substantial development. The enigmatic John Malkovich appears as Teddy KGB the Russian card mobster who originally busts McDermotts bankroll and brings his trademark intensity to the role. Still though, despite a chilling performance, the character cant help but feel flat vaguely interesting but ultimately two-dimensional. He cant affect the protagonist in any directly resonant way, as there isnt a real emotional core to exploit, and so the only threat he presents is surface level. Rounders looks and feels like a character driven story (from its intimate settings to its conversational voice-over narration) despite being thoroughly plot driven in truth. That being said though, if one approaches the film with this in mind, the plot is actually compelling enough to carry the movie. The spiralling threat of violence as a result of Worms debt feels to be always at their heels and the poker scenes are shot with a graceful stylishness that effortlessly builds and maintains situational tension. Poker can be a complicated game and its a testament to the direction that it never becomes confused in Rounders. Apart from a basic run-down of the rules at the top of the movie, were largely allowed to observe the action without expository explanation. While it may prove more satisfying to those with at least a basic understanding of the game, the plot never convolutes itself with rules and statistics to the point that it cant be followed by the layman. The film constantly emphasises the idea that in poker, you play your opponent and not the cards; the heart of the tension derives from how the characters play their hands as opposed to the ranking of the hands themselves. 
Being a poker enthusiast myself, I have to admit to having a soft spot for Rounders and I suspect if youre a poker enthusiast, you will too. Of course it has its faults poor character development and predictability for the most part but it also has its strengths. Its a shame that McDermott isnt a more fully elaborated character; I feel that with something more in the way of substance from its protagonist, Id have been reviewing a great movie instead of attempting (in my own way) to defend a mediocre one. Rounders does make great use of its bustling settings in its sound design and the finer details of the game, the card-dealing and chip-stacking for example, receive a remarkable level of audio detail. The Blu-Ray boasts the standard 5.1 DTS audio and has been through an artful mix, presenting the ambient sound effects superbly. This may seem a little over the top at times, as the actual soundtrack is nothing too memorable although the well-rounded mastering does strengthen the Blu-Ray aurally. There is also an excellent employment of the locations aesthetics; Rounders weaves its tale around the back alley clubs and the rich casinos of Manhattan and beyond. This all looks superb in stunning 1080p, with a 2.35:1 aspect ratio and with a beautifully crisp definition of detail. The colour is perfectly saturated and the level of shadow detail is particularly sharp. Special features-wise, Lionsgates release is somewhat lacking and suffers from a similar reverence to poker that lampoons the film itself. Apart from a standard commentary from Dahl, Norton and the writers, theres also one from a group of poker pros. Were presented with a couple of short videos: a behind the scenes featurette and a short inside poker expose, both of which clock in at around 10 minutes combined after divulging little of interest. The cherry on the cake is a poker tips tutorial that reveals nothing you wouldnt find by typing poker basics into Google. No, there isnt a great deal here, and what is here generally fails to deliver. 
Film 3/5 Rounders is a wholly plot driven movie that has some truly tense and exciting moments. Unfortunately it falls short of greatness and into the ether of movie mediocrity, thanks to its unwillingness to fully explore its own characters. Presentation 4/5 With superb audio/visuals that create a fully justifiable HD experience, Rounders general aesthetic feels totally deserving of the Blu-Ray prestige. Extras 2/5 While the Director/Actor commentary is vaguely intriguing, the rest of the discs extras are largely pointless and for the most part pretty uneventful. With nothing presented here in HD, it all seems rather tacked on. Overall 3/5 Rounders flaws are too blaring for it to be considered great, but it shouldnt be considered terrible either. Its pacey plot and stylish cinematography maintain the drama even after its characters stagnate and it does look and sound amazing on Blu-Ray. A must for poker fans, a maybe for everyone else. Rounders is out now on Blu-ray.