Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Contentar Best movie of this year hands down!

Stoutor It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

alexfstu 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.

zkonedog In a number of different James Bond films, the tuxedo-clad hero would be introduced to viewers via a game of poker. Imagine him playing that game 24/7, and what you'd get is very close to what Shade is.The plot of this film is so fractured, convoluted, and filled with turns that it is difficult to describe, but basically it revolves around the setting up (and eventually playing) of a high-stakes poker game that has enormous repercussions for every player involved.I can easily see why this film was only released to certain select Los Vegas theaters, as the plot was so meandering and the acting (by and large) so underwhelming. However, it could have been at least a decent film if it would have focused on the two things it did well, those being:1. The intensity of the poker scenes. Though this movie is billed to be "all about poker", it is really more about con men and hustlers, thus cheapening the raw tension of the card-playing scenes.2. The acting performances by Sylvester Stallone (The Dean) and Stuart Townsend (The Mechanic). Townsend shines as the up-and-coming hustler trying to knock off the big-gun, played very well by a Stallone trying (at least at the time) to choose some age-appropriate roles. Unfortunately, the ending kind of ruins this relationship (although I can't tell you exactly why).Overall, Shade is a barely-watchable film due to some flashes of acting drama and some intense poker scenes. Other than that, though, it falls completely flat.

ndlejester 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.

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.