Project-Blu ‘Rounders’ Canadian Import Review, by Nate Boss

Rounders

By: Nate Boss, 5.29.2009

The Movie Itself:
 Poker, particularly No Limit Texas Hold’em, took off like a skyrocket in the late ’90’s and early ’00’s, with the World Series of Poker treated with higher regard than the Finals of many a sporting league. What wasn’t there to love? The game about the odds, playing off of one’s opponents body language, and bluffing one’s hand overcame the odds, capitalized on many sports’ shortcomings, but had a pair of pocket aces rather than bluffing. Poker-mania was everywhere, not just the internet and television. It was a genuine phenomenon. Even Bond played a hand in the series reboot.

There have been a few films about these card games since the boom hit, but none have ever captured the lasting appeal, and generally gripping story of one that hit right before the boom: Rounders. Lucky You was as unlucky as they get, while the mockumentary The Grand was, while hilarious in a very dry manner, a very poor story. And while it’s a different kind of card game, the last mainstream card film, 21, was an absolute disaster. No film had the combination of a solid, deep story with realistic characters, a mix of acting veterans and young guns, and a love for the game that is being showcased.   

Mike McDermott (Matt Damon) is a law student, and former card player, having lost a big load of money on a “sure thing” against Teddy KGB (John Malkovich). After losing his entire bankroll for his schooling, Mike has had to take on a job driving a truck for the rounder Joey Knish (John Turturro), having promised his live-in girlfriend Jo (Gretchen Mol) that he was done.  

Temptation always lingers though, and when Mike’s former running buddy Lester “Worm “ Murphy (Edward Norton) is released from prison, he’s drawn back into the game. But Worm’s release has brought many negatives into Mike’s life, as his dishonest style, selfish nature, and outstanding debt will put both in a situation that they may not be able to overcome, while Mike will have to go head to head with the man who retired him a year before in KGB, with his life on the line.  

In my eyes, the best part of Rounders isn't the hot and fast poker action, rather, the narration by Damon, which not only covers any exposition ( making the film fly by ), but also explains vaguely the action on the table, and McDermotts thoughts and feelings. The acting aint to shabby either. Malkovich steals the show every time he's on screen, with an amazing performance amongst his all-time best. Damon and Norton show what made them bonified stars, and female leads Mol and Famke Janssen (Jean Grey from the X-Men series) both give strong, though limited in length, performances. John Turtrurro also gives a nice little performance as Knish, possibly the only person who can guide McDermott through his predicament. 

Quite honestly, I’ve never been able to find any reasons to dislike or criticize the film, despite my countless viewings. The pacing is solid, there is legit tension, characters to both love and hate, and a focus on characters and their relationships with each other, and the relationships between them and their card playing. Whether you're a poker fan or not, Rounders has something to offer with an amazing mix of character development, drama, tension, and poker. Fans have known about this hidden treasure for over 10 years now, but newcomers can find a new go-to film for all their poker voyeurism needs.
Rating: 9/10

The Presentation:
I’ve let it be known I’m not much a fan of Alliance out of Canada’s treatments of films on Blu-ray. I love the fact that they keep putting out titles that aren’t available here in the states, and I love even more that they’re films I enjoy so much.   

I just hate the fact that every time I buy one of these Blu-rays, I have two reasons to have to upgrade them when the authentic studio in America releases their version, unlike other imports (Japan, UK), where they are usually equals to the domestic versions. One, Alliance skimps out the extras (due to rights issues, I’d assume), and two, because Alliance honestly doesn’t seem to give a bloody damn about the quality of the product they release. Rounders is the latest casualty to their apathy.   

At first, I thought I might be in for somewhat of a treat with the video. It’s in it’s natural 2.35:1 ratio (unlike Se7en). It’s presented in full 1080P (unlike Se7en). It even started up with some great fine detail being fairly apparent. It’s just other issues prevent this from being a solid treat.  

The dirt level jumps up a bit in some shots, but for the most part, it’s fairly sparse and random. Grain is at about an average level. Detail can be seen in some great facial details, the varying colors of Malkovich’s strands in his beard, the character bumps in Damon’s face, the great textures in clothing, furry, dirty, patterned, it all looked pretty darn good. There’s no edge halos, or artificial grain removal. I mean, this is all great! 

Skin tones vary dramatically, from the natural pink and white hues, to yellows (not due to lighting) that made me wonder if Damon and crew was battling some serious jaundice issues during filming. Reds are fuzzy and ugly, contrast levels are tweaked unnaturally high. Some shots show artifacting, while others can be incredibly noisy, which, when coupled with increased levels of grain, can create a fairly distracting, ugly look.

The audio defaults to a lossy Dolby Digital track, which is somewhat annoying as the film has an autoplay feature (sans menu), so switching to the lossless DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 track has to be done in film. That said, this film has a stripped down audio that emphasizes the entire “less is more” concept, only, it isn’t more.   

I can say I enjoyed the sound of chips clicking and rattling against each other. That said, the rest of my feelings on the audio aren’t compliments. Most of the lines in the film are clear and easy, though a few were just far too low for me to hear clearly without rewinding multiple times. The bass level for the film is for the most part only used when they want to create a feeling of tension in poker games late in the film. Surround usage felt virtually non-existent, to the point that I wanted to check my speaker wire connections. Again, I’m not looking forward to my next sit-down with an Alliance title, which is a ritual I just cannot ween myself from as long as they keep putting out titles I love like Chasing Amy or Gosford Park (expect reviews soon!)
Rating: 5/10 (6 /10- video, 4/10- audio)

The Extras:
Alliance comes up all Jokers (perhaps with some Uno cards as well, considering how poorly Alliance understands Blu-ray), with a hand that could be beaten by a single deuce. No extras are on this release.
Rating: 0/10

Overall:
 If spelling bees are considered sport (see: ESPN’s coverage), then poker definitely is. 

It’s tough to recommend a title that is going to have to be re-bought when Buena Vista Home Video releases their version of Rounders, which, sadly, got delayed earlier in the year. Those impatient (ie, the true fans), looking to stopgap the situation, will find a bit of a bummer here, with unflattering video qualities and nearly non-existent audio qualities. The film itself is recommendable, but this disc is not. At all.
Rating: 5/10