“Poker is math. Piles and piles of math.”
Those are the very first words you hear in the new poker-themed feature-length action/thriller “Dead Money.” And for the next two minutes, our hero, via voice-over, breaks down the language of modern poker for his audience. References to ranges, counting outs, opponent betting patterns, and ROI. It’s not just a summary lesson in poker that the first scene offers, it’s also a pair of promises – the first is that the game of poker is going to be a central character to the story, and the second, is that they’ll get it right.
And for the most part, Dead Money delivers.
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The story is a simple one (no major plot spoilers here), Andy, played by star Emile Hirsch, is a private cash game grinder on a downswing, looking to turn his fortunes around. When the high-stakes underground game he’s playing in gets robbed at gunpoint, the robbers drive off with more than six figures in cash, leaving Andy with “less than zero.” But when an opportunistic Andy stumbles back upon the stolen cash, he grabs it and ultimately looks to run it up by playing in a series of private games as the original thieves come looking for the money.
As Andy, Hirsch is confident and convincing. While the character of Andy doesn’t actually do too much in the movie to ask you to align with him, Hirsch uses his own on-screen charisma to bring you in and have his back. Hirsch plays Andy knowing vibes of a studied poker player right down to the emotional detachment of winning and losing. And when, at his lowest, he spits out the battle cry of degens on a downswing – “one solid heater is all I need and I am up and walking.” – you almost believe that he will.
The reason it feels authentic is that Hirsch did his homework by walking the walk. He attended private games, put in time studying, and even twice played on Hustler Casino Live, where he won more than $17,000 in a $50/$100 $100BBA game in his last appearance.
Dead Money comes out September 13th. If you haven’t heard of it yet, check this out. I saw so many insane underground games and underworlds, filled with degenerates of all kinds. After the movie I was caught in the throes of a full blown gambling addiction- that’s how you… pic.twitter.com/udvt5FRjU9
— Emile Hirsch (@EmileHirsch) August 27, 2024
The script, written by Josh Wilcox who also serves as the poker consultant, doesn’t speak down to its poker-playing audience. Up top, it assumes that you’ve not only seen the 1998 cult classic Rounders, but you know what it means if you can’t spot the fish at the table. As a whole the poker in the movie feels authentic, (well…authentic for a movie) and although sometimes the table talk can feel cliche “I don’t gamble. I play poker.”, the quips often emulate something you might actually hear if you were playing yourself. (“You got a jack?”, “Is a jack good?”)
The film is bookended by two lengthy poker scenes with a series of escalating home games in between. It’s the kind of poker montages that let the viewers know that it gets real-world poker. You’re not going to catch quads into a straight flush here. Sure, there’s some theatrics, an over-the-top moment or two, the hero pulling off a well-timed bluff, but it’s just enough to add some drama and raise the stakes. The fast-paced direction in the poker scenes never has you lingering on a spot for too long. The hole cards, the all-ins, and the dragging of the pot give you the rush you are looking for.
The core supporting characters all felt well-lived in, including Oscar-nominated actor Jackie Earle Haley’s portrayal of the shotgun-wielding dimwit Wendel, and the archetypes seated at each poker table felt familiar. This includes a perfectly cast Hustler Casino Live star Alan Keating who pops up in a mid-stakes game at a country club just in time to get out on the greens for a prop bet.
It’s not all poker, of course, with a thorough line about the money, where it came from, and what criminals will do to get it back driving all the action. There’s a significant amount of violence that could turn you off, but also they use the passe poker term “donkey” multiple times which, to some, may be even more egregious.
In the end, Dead Money may not be revolutionary as far as action/thriller movies go, but it does feel fast-paced and is pretty enjoyable. In terms of its portrayal of poker, though, Wilcox clearly knew what he was writing about. When paired with the direction of Luc Walpoth, poker fans will likely hold “Dead Money” in high regard in the pantheon of poker movies.
“Dead Money” is out now on digital platforms.