slightlymad22 Continuing my plan to watch every Sly Stallone movie in his filmography in order, I come to a supporting role, in his best movie in years, 2003's Shade. Plot In A Paragraph: Vernon (Stuart Townsend) Miller (Gabriel Byrne) and Tiffany (Thandie Newton) are small time con artists, who cross paths with Jennings (Jamie Foxx) and attempt to con "The Dean" (Sly Stallone) in a high stakes poker game. In his best movie in six years (since Copland in 1997) Stallone plays it closer to his real age (albeit going from one extreme to the other with the hair dye) giving one of the most effective performances of his career. With his eyes gazing steadily from his strong face reminding us what a splendid actor he is when he is allowed to escape from his stereotyped roles. For his brief time on screen (he doesn't appear till 40 mins in) Stallone brings style to the proceedings. There are some good individual performances, but the main cast lack any real chemistry with each other Stuart Townsend looked destined for big things (but it never quite happened) Gabriel Byrne does what Gabriel Byrne does, whilst Jamie Foxx is effective too, and poor Thandie Newton looks great, but she isn't a good actress, and is often embarrassing against the stronger actors. In his one scene, Hal Holbrook (who I always like to see) goes through the motions of performing in a part that's has no lines worth speaking and Tony Burton (Duke in the Rocky movies) has two small scenes, unfortunately none of them are with Stallone.

jfarms1956 Good movie for the less than 30s crowd. Also works for those who like to gamble at cards. I really loved Sylveste Stallone in this. He seems to always be good at what he does. If it were not for him, I probably wouldn't watch it. Melanie Griffith does fine for a supporting role. The movie plot runs a typical and predictable path. The bad guys always get caught. However, the movie does allow you to get into the thoughts and actions of the cast. This is a good movie for a bunch of singles to get together and chomp on popcorn. It provides a night's worth of entertainment, good cast and good acting. I am not real keen on the subject of gambling, but live and let live. After all, movies are there to be entertaining and this one is.

sol1218 ***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!

pacieterra-1 This is an exceptionally stylish movie, loaded with well-known talent. Some, like Sly Stallone, Hal Holbrook, Stuart Townsend, Gabriel Byrne, and Thandie Newton (outstanding!), keep all the grifters in high-stakes poker games entertaining and watchable. Jamie Fox has a smaller role, but does his best with what he's given. The weak link is Melanie Griffith. Although she has done better cinema, and won raves on Broadway for "Chicago," she has little to work with here and is difficult to watch. The various plot twists and interrelationships among the various stars and supporting characters never reveal the final, surprise ending. The range of card tricks and poker maneuvers would never play in Vegas, but they are clever and well-executed. A bonus feature on the DVD illustrates and explains how the actors learned the dynamics of slight-of-hand at the Magic Castle for magicians in Los Angeles.