Rounders

Rounders (1998)

  • 65% of critics liked it
    (79 reviews)

  • 85% of users liked it
    (74,863 ratings)

John Dahl directed this exploration of New York private clubs devoted to high-stakes poker, with first-person narration from the film's central figure, law student Mike McDermott (Matt Damon), who loses his entire savings to Russian club owner Teddy KGB (John Malkovich). Mike then turns away… More

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R,
Directed By
Written By
David Levien, Brian Koppelman
Genres
Drama
In Theaters
Sep 11, 1998 Wide
Miramax

Critic Reviews

  • Rita Kempley, Washington Post

    The wholesome pup's poker face alone, however, hardly accounts for the film's failure to thrill. Damon's character doesn't really have that much stake in the story's outcome.

  • Todd McCarthy, Variety

    Intermittently engaging but dramatically slack.

  • Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

    Gretchen Mol, Edward Norton, John Turturro, Martin Landau, and Famke Janssen costar; they're all pretty good, but not good enough to make this 1998 feature worth seeing.

  • Trevor Johnston, Time Out

    The end result is still short of a winning hand, since the screenplay is so utterly predictable.

  • Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

    Though it's a good-looking flick with some smart acting and a few flashy runs, it barely breaks even dramatically, and feels, overall, like a good chance wasted.

Read all 17 critic reviews

See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Chris W


    Matt Damon is Mike McDermott, a law student who makes his primary living as a rounder- a master poker player who makes the rounds from club to club making the big bucks. After losing it all to Teddy KGB, a ruthless Russian with mob ties played by John Malkovich, Mike gets out and vows… More

  • Jeff "


    Brilliant film about the underworld of high stakes poker. Director's John Dahl's effective direction is what keeps you interested and the tone of the film that of a film noir, which adds so much to the film's atmosphere. The cast are wonderful in their parts, and the… More

  • Albert K


    can't help but to enjoy this movie. I absolutely loved john malkovich's role in the movie. plus, this movie didn't have ridiculous monster hands like the ones in casino royale. nothing more but just an enjoyable movie. I highly recommend it

  • Melvin W


    Mike McDermott: It's immoral to let a sucker keep his money.  "In The Game Of Life... Play The Hands You're Dealt." Too be completely honest there was really no way I was not going to like this. Matt Damon and two of my favorite actors, Edward Norton and John… More

  • Shawn E


    A shallow film with some good characters but leaves nothing memorable.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

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Cast

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