The house always wins.
When a poor college student who cracks an online poker game goes bust, he arranges a face-to-face with the man he thinks cheated him, a sly offshore entrepreneur.
Andrew Cronin
Andres Gomez
Feb 9, 2014
Predictable and forgettable movie. Please, don't let Affleck to perform a bad guy ever again.
Kenneth Axel Carlsson
Dec 30, 2014
A kid is getting other kids to play poker online. The head of the university doesn't like it and threaten to throw him out. The kid (Justin Timberlake) takes all his money and play some poker, hoping that he will win and his future secure. Well, you guessed it, he loses everything. But, not because he is bad or anything, no, there is this guy called Ivan (Ben Affleck) who runs these online casinos, and who cheats the poor young kids. Now there is only one sensible thing to do, which is to go to Costa Rica and confront the bad guy with his scheme. Thats exactly what I would do. Well, nah, not really, but I hope you see where I am going with this. He arrives in Costa Rica, and soon finds himself at the deep end of the pool, hunted by Ivan, some dude named Herrera and the FBI... of course. The plot is idiotic, as you might have guessed. It makes no sense, and the poor actors don't know how to act. And honestly, I don't blame them, they don't understand the manuscript either. I looked for a little light in the darkness, and I think I found it... the photography. There are some beautiful images in this movie, worthy of a James Bond movie, and you know what, the plot matches the Bond movies of late pretty well too. Yeah, I am not a big Bond fan either. Last words... it's not worth it. Ben Affleck is an overrated actor, not worth your time. Mr. Timberlake should just have stopped after The Social Network, and he would have stopped on top. This movie... don't waste your time on it. If you like poker and want to see a nice poker movie, watch Rounders instead, or even 21.
CinemaSerf
Jun 17, 2023
Hmmm. So here's poor old "Richie" (Justin Timberlake) trying to fund his way through Princeton by working gaming and poker sites and taking also taking some commission when his fellow students screw it up. Unexpectedly he finds himself being played and that means a trip to Costa Rica to try and engineer a meeting with the legendary "Ivan" (Ben Affleck). Here, he tries an honest approach with the man, and that - miraculously - results in him finding himself with a prime job with the organisation that could easily lead to riches and the girl "Rebecca" (Gemma Arterton). He's not been in the job long, though, before he's approached by no-nonsense FBI man "Shavers" (Anthony Mackie) and told that his boss is a crook and that he is now to turn snitch. Dangerous times now loom for this character who quickly seems to develop some pretty impressive skills to think on his feet - if not to fight! Everyone in this film looks great. It's got fisticuffs, bling, fast cars, boats, planes etc. but what it doesn't have is much of a story. The basic idea is pretty thin and the writing does little to inject much life - or soul - into the lacklustre characterisations. Mercifully, it's only ninety minutes long and it does feature some crocodiles - but sadly they don't have enough screen time, nor enough to do before the slightly quirky conclusion! A standard television film that will kill some time whilst you're ironing - that's about the height of it.
The film's tagline is: "The house always wins."
With a budget of $30.0M, the film grossed $62.6M — a profit of $32.6M (109% ROI).
The runtime is 88 minutes (1h 28m).
The film was directed by Brad Furman.
The screenplay was written by Brian Koppelman and David Levien.
The score was composed by Christophe Beck.
Cinematography was handled by Mauro Fiore.
This title is listed on IMDb as tt2364841.
1982
Aspiring comic Rupert Pupkin attempts to achieve success in show business by stalking his idol, a late night talk-show host who craves his own privacy.
2005
Driven by tragedy, billionaire Bruce Wayne dedicates his life to uncovering and defeating the corruption that plagues his home, Gotham City. Unable to work within the system, he instead creates a new identity, a symbol of fear for the criminal underworld - The Batman.
1991
Clarice Starling is a top student at the FBI's training academy. Jack Crawford wants Clarice to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist who is also a violent psychopath, serving life behind bars for various acts of murder and cannibalism. Crawford believes that Lecter may have insight into a case and that Starling, as an attractive young woman, may be just the bait to draw him out.
2004
Three activists cobble together a kidnapping plot after they encounter a businessman in his home.
2000
A federal agent searches for a potential killer among the bizarre residents of a dilapidated Los Angeles hotel.
2002
Two Los Angeles homicide detectives are dispatched to a northern town where the sun doesn't set to investigate the methodical murder of a local teen.
2006
FBI agent Neville Flynn boards a flight from Honolulu, Hawaii to Los Angeles, escorting a key witness to testify against a mob boss at an upcoming trial. An on-board assassin releases a crate full of hundreds of deadly venomous snakes in an attempt to eliminate the witness. Flynn and a host of frightened passengers and crew must band together to survive the slithery threat.
1990
Set in 1929, a political boss and his advisor have a parting of the ways when they both fall for the same woman.
1965
An up-and-coming poker player tries to prove himself in a high-stakes match against a long-time master of the game.
Average
1,318 votes
Critic avg. 3.7 (3 reviews)
Review score distribution
Runner Runner
Released
R
English
United States of America
$30,000,000
$62,600,000
