Rounders

3/4 stars

Mol is bland, Malkovitch is over the top, Janssen is underused and Norton just disappears about halfway through the movie, never to be seen again. Still, Damon immerses us in the movie with the same blend of charisma and vulnerability that worked in Good Will Hunting, aided by some suitably confessional narration. The world that the film draws us into is seductively gritty, the storyline effective, and the overall result entirely watchable if not inspired.

Written June 12, 2008.