Flavorwire

Rounders

This 1998 poker drama (new on Netflix this month) is a classic example of a cinematic slow starter; it did little business on its initial release, but within a couple of years, the explosion of recreational Texas Hold-’Em play (the picture’s primary card game) made the film a belated hit on home video. This tale of a reformed card player (Matt Damon) and his eternal screw-up of a buddy and partner (Edward Norton) feels written from the inside — there’s lingo, and lots of it, convincingly mouthed by the strong ensemble cast, and the picture have a good ear for the kind of street poetry rhythms found in David Mamet’s best work (“But about the money, I gotta say this: I gotta say no”). The direction, by the great and underrated John Dahl (Red Rock West, The Last Seduction), is moody and atmospheric, the lighting and music drenched in noir¬, the smoke in the poker rooms thick enough to smell. Some of the supporting characters are thin (and yes, Malkovich’s accent is ridiculous), but this brisk melodrama is fast-paced fun, and prime for repeat viewing.