On the Big Board |
| Position |
Staff |
In Brief |
| 185/214 |
Max Braden |
Cliched psychobabble. There's a laugh here and there, but this slow introspective piece is not for fans of Snatch and Lock Stock. |
Guy Ritchie returns to the director's chair in the genre he does best. A movie more in the lines of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels than Swept Away, the film stars Jason Statham as Jake Green, a hotshot gambler with a paucity of common sense. He's a bold guy, but because he so frequently wins he's rarely allowed to play in any casino. Since he's taken in so much money over the years, he more or less supports his accountant older brother Billy (Andrew Howard) as his sole account.
One evening, Jake and Billy are invited to sit in at a private poker game. Jake is expected to lose to crime boss and local casino owner Dorothy Macha (Ray Liotta). Macha is a terrible player, but he always, always wins because people are so afraid of him. Since Jake is a little short in the common sense department, he decides he's not afraid of Macha and not only beats him at a quick game, but takes every opportunity to verbally insult the man. After Jake leaves the game, Macha puts out a hit on the gambler.
In order to get protection, Jake enters the service of two brothers, Avi (Andre Benjamin) and Zach (Vincent Pastore). Since they're looking to take Macha down, they readily agree to provide Jake with some assistance. Expect plenty of twists and unexpected turns as the story hurtles toward a violent and gun-crazy finale. (Kim Hollis/BOP)
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