The movie “Rounders” is credited by many with doing for poker what “Dirty Dancing” did for dance, but without all the prancing around. This 1998 release featured Matt Damon, Edward Norton and a movie stealing performance by John Malkovitch.

In "Rounders", law student Mike McDermott, played by Matt Damon, is a recovering addict. His drug of choice is not some poppy derivative or a fermented fruit. He is addicted to poker. Mike McDermott is a wily poker savant who turned his attention to law school after losing $30,000 at an underground poker game of high rollers.

McDermott is dragged back into the game that almost ruined his life by his friend, Worm, played by Edward Norton. Worm has gotten himself into a bit of a fix. He owes a large sum of money to some rather dangerous characters after losing in a card game. Unfortunately he has neither the money to resolve the issue or the poker skill to play his way out of trouble. This rather self serving character drags McDermott back into the life he had swore was behind him.

Over all Rounders is a rather good movie. None of the characters are particularly likeable. This makes the film all the more realistic. Worm uses and risks his friends life to save his own hide, while knowing full well he would never do the same if the positions were reversed. McDermott allows the excuse of helping a friend in need put a noble face on his return to the seedy world of underground poker. In truth this allows him to betray those around him who believed he had gone straight, while permitting him to dive, guilt free, back into his own addiction.

Perhaps the weakest part of this film is the end. Like a Ford Explorer equipped with Eagle GT tires, the wheels eventually come off. I wont give away the end, but to anyone with any experience in competitive poker, the undoing of Malkovitch’s, KGB, character is at best, silly.

If you can overlook the ending and try not to read to much into it, the movie is enjoyable and good way to fill an hour and a half.

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