Shade (2003)
Tiffany, Charlie and Vernon are con artists looking to up the ante from their typical scams. They figure a good way of doing this is taking down Dean "The Dean" Stevens, a well-known cardsharp, in a rigged game. However, they first need enough money to enter a game with Stevens, so they decide to strike a deal with fellow crook Larry Jennings to scam a local gangster -- which turns out to be a bad idea.
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I love this movie so much
Such a frustrating disappointment
Dreadfully Boring
This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.
Nothing to do with Poker, though a great set of actors. Except the main character. No drama, nothing intense. Broken down story. Waste of time in my opinion. Stallone was rather good, surprisingly. But better watch Rounders than waste your time on this one. I missed it when it came out and now I know the reason.
SHADEI was disappointed with this.I had never heard of this before which surprised me. This movie has a very impressive cast list which is why i bought it. But it was just very very average at best.The film is about poker... a lot of people conning and ripping off everyone else. No-one can be trusted.The film stars Stuart Townsend, Gabriel Byrne, Thandie Newton, Jamie Foxx, Melanie Grifith & Sylvester Stallone.That is a lot of very good actors in one movie. But I am surprised they took this film on. It's pretty slow going.There are a few good scenes in the film. I like the way some of them get hustled. Very impressive. And you get to see some really good slight of hand card tricks. I also liked the ending... I should have seen the ending coming, but it was a good twist at the end.Don't get me wrong... I didn't hate the movie. It just felt like a straight to TV film but with big stars.I will give this film 5 out of 10.It's alright I suppose, but don't let the stars make you believe this is going to be good...Fore more reviews, please like my Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ordinary-Person-Movie- Reviews/456572047728204?ref=hl
***SPOILERS*** Overly over-plotted movie about a trio of of card hustlers trying to get a crack at #1 in the card sharp business the legendary Dean himself Dean Stevens, Sylvester Stallone,by being able to get the mechanic of the group Vernon, Stuart Townsend, to get into a private card game with him.the Dean is considered to be so big and unapproachable in the film that we don't get a chance to see him until the movie is almost half over. In fact were not even sure if he exists or not up until then even though his name and exploits are brought up by everyone in the movie until he finally makes his grand appearance. It's a lot like a previous movie that one of the stars in the film Gabriel Byrnes, as street hustler Charlie Miller, was in "The Usual Suspects" in regards to the never seen on screen, until he decided to be seen, Kiser Soza.Finally when getting invited to play the Dean at a private room at the L.A Roosevet Hotel the three hustlers Vernon Miller and his on and off girlfriend Tiffany, Thandie Newton, realize that one of the invited guests is Mob Boss Max Maline, Partick Bauchan! The very person who's got a hit out on them for hustling him out of $82,000.00 through one of their greedy and not so bright marks Larry Foxx, Jamie Foxx, at a fake private card game they set Larry up in.***SPOILERS*** Hot and heavy action at the card table with as much as $2,000,000.00 at stake as Vernon goes head to head with the Dean after all the other players were wiped out in the non-stop card turning twisting and sliding action on the poker table. The Dean in fact had the upper hand on Vernon by being able to see, with his eyes unfocused, his hand due to juiced deck he slipped into the game. Yet for some reason the card that he had covered changed for Vernon from a Seven to a Jack without any explanation in the movie's script! What's even more ridicules is how the Dean was able to pull off the big switch when he could have easily been beaten since he didn't have the highest card in the deck! But still just high enough to beat Vernon's hand! The Dean's success was not because of any kind of luck or card playing skill on his part but that he was in fact a much better cheater in cards then Vernon was!***MAJOR SPOILER*** You finally get to see what happened in the movie, at the big card game, when it was just about over and when your about to turn your DVD or VCR player off. But by then your left so confused in all the twists and turns as well as back stabbings in this very confusing film that you've lost, in trying to follow the movie's plot, all interest in it!
That quote says it all really.Shade is the story about one great poker mechanic (Vernon) pitted against the best (The Dean). Then the story gets incredibly tangled and you're not too sure what is really happening until the very end, which throws me for a loop every time I see it. But the crux of this plot is the big poker game with the very best that are around. Our hero, Vernon, gets his buy-in through the financial backing of his partners, Tiffany and Charlie Miller. The game takes place, then starts this domino of events that are just plain absurd, and then we see the truth and pick up our slacked jaws.The way the movie is done reminds me a bit of Pulp Fiction in that the first half of the movie is not straight forward, but sideways we can say. It adds a really neat feel to the movie and kind of keeps you guessing for a while. The club/bar scenes and techno music add a nice flavor to the hustling vibe this movie has, big props for that in my opinion. The acting seems a bit forced for some, especially Tiffany, but otherwise it's a good little flick. I'd say overall somewhere near a 7.75/10, but since there's no fractions I gave it an 8. If you enjoy poker/hustling/Stallone, check this one out.