Poker Night

Name: Poker Night
Genre: Action, Thriller, Crime
Released: December 20, 2014
Duration: 104 min
Rating: 35

2014

METASCORE

Generally unfavorable reviews based on 5 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 10 Ratings

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6.3

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6.3	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 10 Ratings

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Poker Night

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Movie Details & Credits

XLrator Media | Release Date: December 20, 2014 | Not Rated

Summary: A young detective is caught in a sadistic game of cat-and-mouse when he is kidnapped and tormented by a masked serial killer. In order to survive, the rookie must use the wisdom imparted to him by senior detectives on their regular poker night. [XLrator Media]

Director: Greg Francis

Genre(s): Action, Thriller, Crime

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 104 min

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Critic Reviews

Frank Scheck

Dec 18, 2014

This mash-up of cop thriller and torture porn features some clever twists and provides the opportunity for some terrific characters actors to strut their stuff. But Poker Night ultimately deals a losing hand. Read full review

Movie Nation Roger Moore

Dec 27, 2014

The players are good, with Mirchoff earnest and young as a nice contrast to the salty, rough-and-tumble elders, especially the iconic screen heavy, Perlman. It’s just that when the last card is dealt on this Poker Night, Francis isn’t content to let the best hand win. Read full review

Chris Klimek

Dec 9, 2014

Greg Francis’ writing and directing feature debut plays like a thoroughly mundane mashup of grim David Ayer cop movies like Training Day, neo-noirs like The Usual Suspects, and green-tinted, subterranean torture flicks like Saw for long enough that when Francis turns out to have an ace up his sleeve, it’s a genuine surprise. Not enough to put the movie into the black, but enough to mark him as a talent to watch. Read full review

Dennis Harvey

Dec 21, 2014

Flashbacks within flashbacks exhaust viewer patience in this snarky mix of crime, action and sadism. Read full review

Martin Tsai

Dec 21, 2014

Francis has a few moments of inspiration, nonchalantly deploying visual gags. If he were going for cult status, perhaps gonzo is the way to go. The rest of his stylistic flaunts, plot twists and contrivances are joyless. Read full review

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User Reviews

KriticalChaos

Jan 11, 2015

Don't listen to the critics. This is a solid movie with solid actors(Gus from Breaking Bad/Clay from Sons of Anarchy) and is well worth a watch if you're into mysteries and thrillers. It had me on the edge of my seat guessing what was going to happen next the entire time. Sure, it may haveDon't listen to the critics. This is a solid movie with solid actors(Gus from Breaking Bad/Clay from Sons of Anarchy) and is well worth a watch if you're into mysteries and thrillers. It had me on the edge of my seat guessing what was going to happen next the entire time. Sure, it may have gotten a little messy with the flashbacks, but you really don't lose track of what's happening. In fact, I loved how the pacing was so unconventional, switching between the old mens' stories and the main character's repeatedly. It was like unwrapping a bunch of Christmas presents slowly, and having them all open at the same time. The plot acted like a twisting roller coaster, with the ending sending you straight down with your hands in the air. Make no mistake; this is a highly underrated movie.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

quincytheodore

Jun 1, 2015

Compilation of detective stories in one torturous ordeal. Poker Night is not your ordinary thriller or cop movie. It takes a lot of liberty in telling its many subplots by tweaking the timeline as each detective delivers their respective story. With the lineup of actors the movie has, itCompilation of detective stories in one torturous ordeal. Poker Night is not your ordinary thriller or cop movie. It takes a lot of liberty in telling its many subplots by tweaking the timeline as each detective delivers their respective story. With the lineup of actors the movie has, it presents suspense and occasional humor aptly. However, the constant whirl of flashbacks and abrupt pacing change might be exhausting to audience as it veers too many times throughout the movie.

Jeter (Beau Mirchoff) is invited to a poker night by his lieutenant. This ongoing tradition is a part of initiation for new detectives. Little did he know, his first case might just need all the wisdom from these veterans. The plot shifts back and forth as Jeter tries to outwit a psychopath as he remembers the stories from the poker night one step at a time. The risk grows increasingly high as Jeter gambles with not only his life, but also the life of a girl hostage.

This unorthodox set-up has the advantage of presenting many subplots, the tone from each can be adjusted for humor purpose as well. It even displays the antagonist's perspective in ironic fashion. The actors do well, they are an eclectic bunch, representing convincing grit accumulated from years of experience. Their tales are pretty interesting, with just the right amount of noir monologue and awareness.

Not all of them are balanced though, a couple of these might feel tedious. Furthermore, the sudden shift to accommodate all stories might unintentionally derail the momentum. It has excessive amount of flashback into another flashback, which can be a convoluted viewing. Its overall theme and major plot are solid enough, often dealing with sadistic and perverse nature without getting overly gory, so it does maintain a good level of consistency.

Poker Night is different kind of crime movie, the bizarre narrative doesn't completely pay off, but it plays its hand cleverly enough to create a decent thriller.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Hlxx

Jan 23, 2015

Very bad movie, bored, bad acting, bad pictures, everything in this movie is bad. If director of this movie thought that Giancarlo Esposito will help him get some more viewers then he was wrong. I watched about 40 min. of this movie but I felt like it lasted 2 hours... Don't waste your timeVery bad movie, bored, bad acting, bad pictures, everything in this movie is bad. If director of this movie thought that Giancarlo Esposito will help him get some more viewers then he was wrong. I watched about 40 min. of this movie but I felt like it lasted 2 hours... Don't waste your time on this movie.

Pardon my English, is not perfect.… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

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