Like in Good Will Hunting , Damon is playing a man who doesn’t know what to do with the genius he is given. Substitute a knack for mathematics with a knack for Texas hold-’em, and you have the same character. He’s a whiz because he understands poker is not about luck, it’s about psychology. He reads people as easily as he reads cards. Damon's character doesn't have much depth, fortunately the young actor's charisma manages to make up for the script's shortcomings.
As the movie opens, he’s gotten out of the game after losing all his money in one disastrous gamble. But like Michael Corleone in The Godfather Part III -- they keep pulling him back in. Mike finds himself “rounding” again to help out his weasely but likable best friend, Worm (Edward Norton), who’s just out of prison. He has to play to help his buddy earn enough dough to pay off debts to some scary gangster types who will do far worse than break his kneecaps.
In this buddy pair, Mike is the classical character, the one with the level head who wins by managing risk. He knows when to hold ‘em, knows when to fold ‘em, knows when to walk away, and he knows when to run. Worm, on the other hand, fills the mold of the romantic soul -- he risks too much. The danger is too exciting. This clash wears on their friendship and provides most of the dramatic tension. And as Ben Affleck did in Good Will Hunting , Norton pushes Damon’s character to follow his true destiny. Will Mike risk his future to see what hand the world of gambling will deal him? The question drives the film's basic analogy: poker is like life, life is like poker. It's not the most original idea, but originality is not this film's strong suit.
Also telling Mike to follow his heart is Martin Landau, last seen whispering laughably melodramatic conspiracy theories to Fox Mulder in some dark alley. Here, his job is to encourage Mike to quit school and become a Vegas card shark by whispering laughably melodramatic stories about how he himself turned his back on the Yeshiva to become a lawyer.
The rest of the cast doesn’t fare any better. Much heralded newcomer Gretchen Mol barely makes a dent as the standard, suffering girlfriend. Ex-Bond babe Famke Jensen is as appealing to watch as always, but she doesn’t get much screen time. John Turturro manages to save a few segments of the movie just by showing up. But the most memorable performance in the whole film belongs to John Malkovich, who, sadly is only in about two scenes. As Damon’s Oreo-splitting nemesis, "Teddy KGB," he’s both menacing and funny. If only the movie were about him instead.
Rounders does follow the rules of all good sports movies: we know our hero will eventually find himself in one last “Big Game” for all the marbles in the last reel. Along the way, the movie is laced with so much poker terminology and so many card game complexities that even some experienced players will have a tough time understanding it all. But it’s a credit to Dahl’s direction that even a novice will be able to follow who’s winning. Too bad we don't care a little more about the outcome.