Poker Face is a movie co-written, directed and starring Russell Crowe that also counts with starring roles played by Liam Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky.
A movie that plays many cards, but never centers itself on the actual game.
Premise
Jake Foley is a 57 year-old tech tycoon who has a weakness for poker. He decides to reunite his friends from yonder year for a high-stakes game of poker. The gathering will be less enjoyable than anticipated, as old secrets emerge, rivalries surface, and thieves intrude in the midst of the soirée.
Movie Review
A thriller that takes its time (a long time) to show itself and maneuver as a thriller, and that once it reaches that point it goes on thriller overdrive, betraying the initial tempo. As you know, there are no written rules in this industry, and one might succeed if one innovates enough, or if you place your bet on too many clichés, it might come across as a rather unconvincing production.
On this occasion, Crowe’s proposal is neither close to genius, as we are sure he would have liked, and it strikes us that at best this will go down as yet classic thriller, one of so many.
We are not quite convinced by this production, and we doubt it will be a hit in theaters or streaming platforms. The radical shift from the initial scenes and sequences, of an introspective man we barely get to know, to the then intrigue and thriller, it is a development that is abrupt in its transitions.
A film that takes off in twilight tonalities and then drowns in a spectacle of clichéd goodies and baddies. With scenes of not very agile punching, and premise of art works mixed with poker (by the way, they only play a couple of hands). There are many elements, and tones, there are many subplots and even characters who threaten to liven it up, but don’t.
This fluctuation, in tempo, tonalities and situations ends up making this a movie that fails to find its own style.
The screenplay, without ranting and raving about it, is not bad, while the actors can do little in their respective roles, giving the impression that they are merely the entourage of the protagonist.
Our Opinion
We had looked forward to watch this movie, but it did not manage to play the cards it was dealt. They do not make for a cohesive piece, in what should have been a balanced game.
Release Date
November 18, 2022
Director
Russell Crowe
Russell Ira Crowe (born 7 April 1964) is an actor, director, musician, and singer. He was born in New Zealand, spent 10 years of his childhood in Australia, and moved there permanently at age 21. He came to international attention for his role as Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius in the epic historical film Gladiator (2000), for which he won an Academy Award, Broadcast Film Critics Association Award, Empire Award, and London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Leading Actor, along with 10 other nominations in the same category. Read More
Cast
 Russell Crowe / Jake Foley |  Liam Hemsworth |  Elsa Pataky |
 RZA |  Jacqueline McKenzie / Actress |  Lynn Gilmartin / Allison Foley |
 Daniel MacPherson / Sam Levine |  Matt Nable / Billy |  Steve Bastoni / Paul |
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