Shade (2003)

The hand is quicker than the eye in LA's underground gambling scene, hustlers getting hustled and fortunes ride on every deal. Three small time grifters devise with a plan to beat the ultimate card mechanic- The Dean. But a seat at The Dean's table doesn't come cheap

Too bad one of the few films with genuine sleight of hand isn't any good

The actors in this movie learned some real sleight of hand from Magic Castle magicians. The director did not want the camera cutting to someone else's hands, as in The Sting. (In The Sting, Newman's sleight of hand performance was done by the hands of the great John Scarne.)

That was a good start, but it's too bad the film has got nothing else going for it. The acting, for instance, is atrocious. Why Gabriel Byrne, Sylvester Stallone, Melanie Griffith and Hal Holbrook agreed to be in this turd is one of the film's biggest mysteries. Byrne, for instance, is so bored by the procedings he at times does not even seem fully awake. And I don't blame him. The script is horrendous. The twists are bland and perfectly predictable. The juvenile, MTV editing is unforgivable.

The film tries quite desperately to be clever, and fails. Numerous references are thrown in for the initiated, such as calling the villain Charlie Miller, having two characters named after Dai Vernon, as well as numerous references to S. W. Erdnase (E. S. Andrews spelled backwards) and his famous book, The Expert at the Card Table.

A magician, fascinated by con artists, somehow got a weak script approved. He directs the movie himself, trying so hard to be ultra hip, throwing himself and his magician friends in the film as cameos designed to make them look super cool. In fact, the movie tries so darn hard to be cool that the effect is that it seems anything but. It seems desperate, crying out: "Please like me."

The end result is a laughable film. When I saw the DVD box my first reaction was, "Why did this go straight to video?" I now know why. Even as a magician who loves sleight of hand, I was bored to tears watching this turd. In fact, the special feature which shows some of the card tricks in the film is far, far more entertaining than the movie itself. Watch House of Games instead. July 26, 2008

Good cast, mediocre film.

Decent flick, but they stray from the traditional rules of poker, which will bother you a bit if you're really into the game. Worth a rental. July 2, 2008

The Con Man's Bible

There's something in all of us that wants to "get over" on somebody else, thus this movie deals us all a great hand and can be watched many times over. Love the special features! July 5, 2007

Decent flick...Would recommend to poker fans/Stallone fans

The movie all around wasn't bad, but not to say it was anything memorable. It does throw some twists and turns. A short-lived section of the movie with Jamie Foxx and his antics, Sylvester Stallone and his ability to "play it cool". Some of the acting could have been better, the movie was pretty short as well. I liked it, but again I've seen better. May 19, 2007

TEXAS HOLD'EM POKER and various hustlers on the make

This movie, starring Sylvester Stallone as a master TEXAS
HOLD'EM POKER player, with other competitors, played by the
charismatic, laid back, and relaxed actors Gabriel Byrne, and
Stuart Townsend, has that typical, surprise ending, that will
knock most people's socks off, as was the case with "Nine
Queens" or "MatchStick Men", for example. You really don't see
it coming at all, just when the movie seemed to have reached its
peak.

Among the strong points of this picture, is the tasteful
soundtrack, that is modest, not drawing the attention of
viewers from the story, or the quality wide-screen release, or
the fine acting.

The editing is innovative, as it tries to avoid a one -
dimensional unfolding of the story, by presenting multiple
flash-backs, at the start and towards the middle of the movie,
allowing the audience to catch up with who is who, and where the
movie is heading, so the story unfolds rapidly, wasting no time.

Obviously, the movie's, when taken as pure entertainment, works
fine as successive grifters and poker players using various
cheating techniques, get "eaten" by their fellow "carnivores" in
one scam or other. The audience will perhaps consider that they
had it coming to them, sooner or later.

Melanie Griffth is lovely, and Stallone does an outstanding job,
in bringing a certain world-class status to the movie, by
simply being himself, both enjoying themselves over the course
of the 90 mins.

Clearly, this is a fun picture for people who've enjoyed poker
and card games, and cynically wonder whether there is something
else going on behind the scenes when certain participants
repetitively meet success. Theatrical or DVD release, SHADE is a
winner. March 29, 2007

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