Overview
A high-stakes poker game becomes a battleground for ambition and friendship.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- tense
- colorful
- sardonic
- late night viewing
- poker night
What critics said
Critics generally found the poker action atmospheric and entertaining, with colorful performances, while viewing the story and dramatic drive as limited.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Mike McDermott repeatedly treats poker not merely as recreation but as the defining measure of his talent, discipline, and self-conception.
Mike allows Worm's prison debt and irresponsible behavior to pull him back into high-stakes gambling and expose him to Grama's threats.
The private poker clubs, Teddy KGB's flamboyant behavior, and the film's atmospheric criminal spaces give the underworld a performative, colorful texture.
The central conflict advances through poker hands, gambling deadlines, and the anticipated confrontation between Mike and Teddy KGB.
Films like Rounders, and why
The Gambler
shared neo-noir atmosphere, criminal underworld, moral compromise, and pressure-driven descent
Uncut Gems
shared gambling-centered crime drama, compulsive risk-taking, and tense high-stakes confrontations
The Friends of Eddie Coyle
shared buddy dynamic, criminal debts, streetwise negotiation, and New York underworld energy
House of Games
shared neo-noir style, morally compromised protagonists, and escalating criminal entanglements
Movie Details
- Director
- John Dahl
- Release Date
- 1998-09-11
- Runtime
- 121 min
- Rating
- 7.0 / 10 (2000)
Cast
- Matt Damon
- Edward Norton
- John Turturro
- Gretchen Mol
- John Malkovich
- Famke Janssen
- Martin Landau
- Michael Rispoli
- Goran Višnjić
- Mal Z. Lawrence
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Rounders about?
- A gifted law student is pulled back into New York's underground poker scene when loyalty to his reckless friend turns a gambling habit into a dangerous debt spiral.
- What is Rounders like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Rounders as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Rounders violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Rounders as mild.
- What did critics think of Rounders?
- Critics generally found the poker action atmospheric and entertaining, with colorful performances, while viewing the story and dramatic drive as limited.
- Which films are like Rounders?
- Films with a similar feel include The Gambler, Uncut Gems, The Friends of Eddie Coyle, and House of Games.
- How long is Rounders?
- Rounders runs 121 minutes.
- Where can I watch Rounders?
- In United States, Rounders is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
