‘Dead Money’ Gets High Marks from Noted Movie Critic – But Here’s What We Think!
A new poker movie is coming to video on demand (VOD) and limited theaters on Friday, September 13. Dead Money, written by Josh Wilcox and directed by Luc Walpoth, stars Emile Hirsch as Andy, who along with his girlfriend Chloe, played by India Eisley, “are involved in a crazy 24 hours after a home poker game is robbed. Andy finds playing the largest poker game of his life as both of their lives are in danger.”
The film, which costars veteran actors David Keith, Jack Earle Haley, Rory Culkin, and Peter Facinelli, has drummed up some excitement within the poker community, especially given Hirsch did “research” with noted poker players Alan Keating (who has a cameo in the movie), Nik Airball, and Ryan Feldman (who was a recent guest on the Life Outside Poker Podcast).
The Chicago Sun-Times’s Richard Roeper, a poker player himself, gave the film three out of four stars and stated: “The sharp screenplay by Josh Wilcox nails the poker lexicon yet never gets so deep in the weeds that the non-player would be lost.”
He added: “We might not ever get the long-rumored Rounders 2, but in a genre that is filled with movies that turn out to be busted hands when it comes to authenticity, Dead Money is a solid entry. This is a poker movie that gets it right.”
Check out the Chicago Sun-Times review of 'Dead Money' here!
What Does PokerNews Think?
I was given an advance screener of the film and went in skeptical expecting a B-Movie at best, but I wound up fairly impressed. It wasn’t that bad, and while it’s not likely to rank among the best poker movies of all time, there’s a lot to like about Dead Money.
However, before I get into all that I want to make an important distinction – this is not a poker movie in the sense that the game is the primary plot focus. Instead, it is a crime thriller in which poker plays a big role. So, if you go in expecting a film like Rounders then you’re likely to be disappointed. The film you’ll find is more akin to Runner, Runner starring Justin Timberlake and Ben Affleck, or more recently 2021’s The Card Counter with Oscar Issac and Tiffany Haddish.
If you view the movie through that lens then there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy the ride. Thanks to screenwriter Josh Wilcox’s poker experience – he was a grinder at Hustler Casino – the poker lexicon and hands are accurate to our industry. In fact, there was only one moment that made me cringe when one female character broke down a hand in less-than-stellar acting.
Aside from that singular moment, the acting was excellent in my opinion. A recreational poker player before he took the role, Hirsch clearly immersed himself in the game and did justice to pro poker players. I recently chatted with Hirsch about what he did to prepare for the role, and as you can see, it had a profound impact on him:
Hirsch is surrounded by a strong cast. India Eisley and Rory Culkin offered grounded yet effective performances, while both David Keith and Jackie Earle Haley were captivating in their respective villainous roles. Toss in Peter Facinelli – I loved him in the cult classic Can’t Hardly Wait – provides well-timed comedic relief.
I always rank movies on IMDb, which operates on a 10-star scale. Five stars is my baseline ranking if a movie leaves me neither disappointed nor overly impressed, but simply entertains. Dead Money is in that category, albeit with some small details I really liked. For that reason I give it six out of ten stars and say its definitely worth a watch for any poker fan.
Check out PokerNews' Top 5 Poker Movies here!
