Release Date: April 9, 2004
MPAA Rating: R for language, violence and sexuality/nudity
Written and Directed by: Damian Nieman
Starring: Stuart Townsend, Gabriel Byrne, Thandie Newton, Jamie Foxx, Melanie Griffith, Sylvester Stallone

Plot:
Set in the world of high-stakes poker hustlers, this is the story of three conmen/hustlers (Byrne, Townsend, Newton) looking for that one big take that they can all retire on. After they actually do pull a huge sting off with the help of someone called "The Dean" (Stallone), they find themselves chased by a ripped-off gangster looking for revenge.

Review:
The world of poker hustlers is a risky and dangerous business. It pays off in the end if you definitely know how to play the game well. It can pay off even more if you know a few tricks of your own. While it can be called cheating, it can also be called intelligent. The characters in Shade are exactly that and the film is an all around test of intelligence.

Shade for one thing doesn't have much action or violence, only in a few scenes when it called for it. The film relies on its characters, smart screenplay and strong direction to smoothly roll the film along. It all comes together perfectly because the characters in this film are each very different, interesting and always filled with suspicions towards one another.

Quite an impressive cast Shade holds with actors Stuart Townsend, Gabriel Byrne, Sylvester Stallone, Jamie Foxx, Thandie Newton and Melanie Griffith. They all give good performances, not necessarily great performances because the script didn't call for it, but they each acted very good. Gabriel Byrne is easily the best character from all with a nice calm and cunning style to him.

The film closely follows Stuart Townsend who plays Vernon. He works with Byrne's character and Newton's character to win a great sum of money in a few games, so they can all retire and finally enjoy their lives in a nice calm sense. Even when they are all together in the same con, its never what it seems to be and therefore hence the tagline for Shade, "Look Deeper".

Dean Stevens who is Stallone's character is considered the best in poker all throughout the world. He is constantly winning games and has never lost a game. Luck you think? Well you'll have to see the film yourself to see exactly how good he is and how he does it. He awaits the day someone can beat him, but he always has something up his sleeve.

The beautiful behind Shade is that it focuses on the story of Stallone's character Dean Stevens and doesn't show the character until a good one hour in the film. Keeping the suspense running and revealing him with awe. His story is the films opening along with the credits rolling with card tricks galore. The situations that Stevens has gotten himself into is dangerous and that's why he is trying to give up the game.

Shade reminds me somewhat of The Usual Suspects. Not because they are alike in story, but because the characters in both films are emphasized greatly and that's what makes them both succeed. The Usual Suspects is a superior film to Shade, but Shade alone has its sense of difference in a good way and is a great truly memorable film.

This film is indeed one that keeps you guessing until the end. As most con films go, there is always a twist or some unexpected turn that occurs and surprises you. That is some of the things Shade does really well in. It continues to throw con after con, but who is exactly is with who and who is against who? The film grabs the audience and keeps them entertained until they can reveal the actual conning that was done.

What this film delivers as a whole is an incredibly smart crime thriller that relies on its story to take full charge. It succeeds because not only is the screenplay sharp, but Director Damian Nieman has a great vision for a film as such and sets the mood well. It seems like its not a particularly big conning that is happening, but it indeed is and Damian Nieman sure knows how to keep the story compelling.

It is the debut of director Damian Nieman and what a great start to his career. He revealed he has a vision that your average director doesn't have and he strived to get his film out there even if its a limited release. The camera shots in Shade are smooth and sometimes it hardly cuts. There is just great originality and I look forward to Damian's next project as he definitely has plenty of potential to continue a streak.

Shade is a low budgeted independent film that works with its characters, script and direction to result highly and it does just that. There is no need for explosions, non stop action and that's the advantage and cleverness that Shade has. The cast is superb and its great to see Gabriel, Sylvester and Melanie all in a film that is a lot better than many films out there at the moment.

Shade takes poker, card tricks and conning to a entirely new level. The film alone is very complex, features an intriguing story, smart dialogue and everyone is thinking they are going to come out big in the end, but they just might be wrong. This film is much more than just a good movie because it is incredibly original and sets itself aside from any other con film. Its great to see something like Shade every once in a while and it's one of the best crime films you'll see this year.