Whether the venue is a casino's smoke-filled back room, a paddlewheeler or a swanky residence, Hollywood has always been able to capture the intensity of the high stakes poker game. The best movies about poker portray the game as glamorous and seedy, dangerous and fun-loving. The tension under which the movie poker games are played delivers a competitive edge rarely matched in other movie scenes.
In descending chronological order:
Rounders (1998) Starring Matt Damon, Ed Norton and John Malkovich
Without a doubt, director (and sometimes writer) John Dahl's movie is one of the leading reasons why the sudden influx of young hopeful players appeared in casino poker rooms at the beginning of this decade.
Good poker players had commonly been thought of as a bit older, a bit wiser and definitely more experienced than the characters Matt Damon and Ed Norton play, yet they are seasoned far beyond what their years should allow.
It's a bit of a buddy formula but with an edge that one doesn't immediately expect. One buddy wants to help the other buddy who says he wants (and needs) help but inherently doesn't appreciate it, even though the stakes are high.
Rounders will get one to thinking about whether or not playing poker is such a good idea. Proper poker etiquette takes a quick back seat but the promise of an adrenaline rush wins out in the end.
(Rounders 2 is currently in development but has yet to post a release date.)
Quote:
Damon/Narrator - "If you can't spot the sucker in the first 1/2 hour at the table, then you ARE the sucker!"
Maverick (1994) Starring Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster and James Garner
The relationship of director Richard Donner and Mel Gibson is alive and well in this fun, happy-go-lucky romp. Based on the character premise of the late fifties television series Maverick, also having starred Garner, it is not a film to be taken seriously but then, neither was the television show.
Getting to the big poker game isn't going to be easy but Brett Maverick does everything he can to raise the cash for the buy-in to the high stakes tournament. Gibson and Garner have wonderful chemistry and Foster, although seemingly miscast as a poker shark with an unsteady southern belle accent, turns in a very likeable performance as Maverick's Achilles heel.
Quote:
Maverick - "Well, now, I bring all sorts of plusses to the table. I hardly ever bluff and I never ever cheat."
California Split (1974) Starring George Segal and Elliot Gould
Poker or gambling in general isn't all fun and games and Bill and Charlie discover that fairly quickly. Both down on their luck, a winning streak isn't at all what they were used to or prepared for. Segal and Gould are perfectly cast in this journey into the darker side of poker and casino gambling.
What they eventually discover is unexpected (although the viewer might have an inkling); it wasn't the money they were chasing after all. Screenplay writer Joseph Walsh and his friend, Steven Spielberg, worked on the script for nine months before they were satisfied with it.
Robert Altman directed this movie with a distinct edge and sombre mood for the material. Watch for a very young Jeff Goldblum in only his second film role.
Quote(s):
Charlie - "Bet the house on this one."
Bill - "You've been saying this all week. I'm lucky I'm not much of a property owner."
The Sting (1973) Starring Paul Newman, Robert Redford and Robert Shaw
Scott Joplin's ragtime music sets the tone for this naughty-but-nice story of people doing bad things to other people who do very bad things. The tongue-and-cheek chemistry that Newman, Redford and director George Roy Hill shared in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) has become more refined with time and, once again, does not disappoint.
Figuratively speaking, The Sting has more to do with gambling than with actual poker but it's the movie poker game, or the hook, that shows just how easily people can be manipulated if you know which strings to pull. Without realizing it, Doyle Lonnegan (menacingly played by Robert Shaw) becomes a mere puppet. He's convinced he has control until the very last moment. Even then, he's unaware he's been taken; the perfect con.
Quote(s):
Gondorff - "... Does he do anything where he's not alone?"
J.J. - "Just poker. And he cheats. Pretty good at it, too."
The Cincinatti Kid (1965) Starring Steve McQueen, Edward G. Robinson, Karl Malden, Ann-Margret
The ultimate poker movie about the ultimate poker game where only high stakes players are welcome. Directed by Norman Jewison, the mood is one of confidence, guile and desperation, all rolled together in a pursuit for power.
The Kid believes he has the best game but can't get beyond the underlying intimidation about taking the current king, Lancey Howard. He wants it so badly but, strangely, he's unsure why. Watching the characters reveal their insecurities while trying to keep them out of each other's reach truly makes this poker movie one of the finest.
Quote(s):
Slade: "How the hell did you know I didn't have the King or the Ace?"
Lancey Howard - "I recollect a young man putting the same question to Eddie the Dude. 'Son', Eddie told him, 'all you paid was the looking price. Lessons are extra.' "
There was also Big Hand for a Little Lady starring Joanne Woodward and Henry Fonda and Kaleidoscope, starring Warren Beatty and Susannah York, both 1966. Many other movies have featured poker, such as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) and Ocean's Eleven (2001) but they are too numerous to list in their entirety.
Movie poker won't teach anyone the game but it will help to appreciate the mechanics behind it.
Other articles containing movie quotes:
Classic Movie Quotes We Use Everyday : Hollywood's Most Famous Lines From the Drama Genre
Funny Famous Movie Quotes for Everyday Use: Hollywood's Funniest Movie Lines From the Comedy Genre
Sources:
IMDB (website)
MovieMaker: The Art and Business of Making Movies (website)
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