The Poker Club (2008) User Reviews

Very Good

[rstone-27 · 6/10 · 20 April 2009]

I gave this one a 6/10 because of the twists involved. It was a very enjoyable movie, moved along very well, the actors were very good.

With all of the trash out on the market now days, its nice to see a good drama that catches your attention and keeps it.

I am not much for drama, but this is one I would recommend. I feel it will be one of the best missed movies of 2009.

Johnathon Schaech is riveting in this role.

I know that most of the critics will give this one a low score just because there are no big names in it, but don't let that miss-lead you... This is a good movie to watch, not a waste of time or money.

Poker Haunt Us.

[dunmore_ego · 5/10 · 17 August 2009]

Four friends in a weekly poker game. A burglar breaks in. They kill him. It looks bad (they tied his hands; he tried to escape and one of them baseball-batted him). They don't report it and dump the body.

Then things get really bad.

From a novel by Ed Gorman, Johnathon Schaech produces, co-screenplays and stars in the tight thriller, THE POKER CLUB. If you're looking for poker action, go watch ROUNDERS or 21. Despite its title, in this movie, you'll get exactly five minutes of poker as an establishing shot, then the movie concerns itself with how the burglar's death affects the four friends of The Poker Club (quaky Loren Dean, beanstem Michael Risley, dynamic Johnathon Schaech and Chippendaler Johnny Messner).

Part psychological thriller, part gore-fest, all indie film-making.

A couple of twists you can see coming and a couple you can't, some good acting and some bad acting, motivations which seem untidy and some which we can buy; all in all, the most fun you can have watching a poker movie without actually watching a poker movie.

--Review by Poffy The Cucumber (for Poffy's Movie Mania).

the one positive thing I can say on this film is. The running time is only 82 minutes,

[jaybob · 4/10 · 22 April 2009]

Johnathon Schaech stars and co-wrote the 'teleplay' for this movie,It is from a novel by Ed Gorman.This is a mystery story that could have been much better. The general tale has been done too many times already to maintain any suspense or real mystery.

Another point that dooms this film is that none of the people are very good or interesting & I for one was unable to care one bit on what occurred. NOTE I have not mentioned any of the cast names

As I said in the above summary the best thing is the running time.including credits only 82 minutes.

The acting is only fair, same for the production, there is nothing I can recommend here.

OK I have my 10 lines,.

Ratings: ** (out of 4) 52 points(out of 100) IMDb 4 (out of 10)

Horrible adaptation

[davegiller6684 · 1/10 · 7 March 2010]

All of the good reviews I've seen on here make me think that none of them have read Ed Gorman's book that the movie was adapted from. I think they got the idea and the character's names right, but it stopped right there. The Poker Club was a great book, I don't know why they didn't just keep to the original story and not make it predictable and stupid, like they did. Schaech needs to stick with acting and forget about screen-writing. Glad I just rented this pile of crap and didn't buy it. The whole part of the movie about both Jan and Aaron both having affairs was just pointless. I understand a movie can't be made as detailed as a book, but come on! If your'e going to adapt a movie from a book, at least stick to the story or come up with your own damn idea.

Decently put together, but all too easy plot

[paramount-services · 3/10 · 22 April 2009]

Johnathon Schaech has definitely got talent, writing and acting in this although it was a mediocre film. The plot seems all too easy and done plenty of times before, but it still somewhat keeps your interest. It was obviously not a Hollywood hit with a huge budget, but for what they had, I believe it turned out OK.

The story follows a lead character Aaron(Johnathon Schaech)and his response to him and his friends killing a burglar on their poker night. They make a commonly used film move and dump the body and get rid of the evidence. Things begin happening to the people involved in this murder and evidence points to our lead character as a determined and suspicious detective (Judy Reyes) investigates Johnathon's character. The plot leads us to an interesting, but non-surprising twist in the end which leaves the audience questioning elements about Aaron's wife and her actions. Johnny Messner once again plays an obnoxious character who is not too likable, for reasons explained in the film. Overall, wasn't too bad considering, but there's definitely better straight to DVD features out there to watch.

Obvious why it's a DVD feature, but still have to give credit to Johnathon Schaech for his drive and determination to adapt this screenplay and get it made.

Perfect for those nights you don't know what to watch and aren't demanding

[dbborroughs · 7/10 · 21 July 2009]

When an intruder is found in the house during the weekly poker game the buddies end up killing him. Deciding not to call the police they dump the body and swear secrecy. Unfortunately things turn deadly in the aftermath as someone starts looking for revenge and past misdeeds start to be aired. On top of that the body the thought was well hidden is discovered by the police… This is a good little thriller that moves along at a good clip. Its brief running time, its about 80 minutes assures that things keep moving. The brevity also works against the film in some ways since there are times when some of the characters get lost, I had to pause to think about who was whom since the names to faces didn't seem to really stick with me. Worth seeing as a rental or on cable. Between 6 and 7 out of 10

Poker Club is...

[MichaelRodrick · 7/10 · 19 May 2009]

"The Poker Club", which I saw at a film festival, examines the bad choices we make when we take our life for granted, and shows how they can come back to haunt us. It is a thriller that, for the most part, keeps a strong momentum going, and has a lively cast of characters (although it is an unrealistically good looking group). It's a lot of fun to watch, is not going to strain anyone's braincells, but is much more emotionally involving than most films of this kind. Judy Reyes, who is from the TV show Scrubs, plays a detective. It's a much different role for her, and she gives a standout performance. Also, Lori Huering is very impressive.

Good thriller

[I_Really_Love_Movies · 9/10 · 28 April 2009]

Action right out of the gate on this one.

The main character, Aaron, has several friends over his house for a poker game. A burglar breaks in, and they kill the guy by mistake. They decide, since they've been doing drugs and drinking, to dump the body instead of report it. If you can get past this bad move, you're in for some fast moving fun.

The story shows Aaron's world falling apart, the result of jealousy, infidelity, and tensions already going on his in life boiling to the surface. There are several bloody action sequences (this film is not for kids!). Finally, Aaron realizes how all of the violence happened because of a decision he had made during a careless moment.

All in all, a very good film. There's tension from start to finish, very good acting, and finally a moral point to pull it all together. Highly recommended.

Pretty delightful neo noir made in NJ

[bob.decker · 7/10 · 17 March 2023]

I found a free copy of this in the little library outside the Presidio Y, so no big investment here, but I was really quite well pleased with this as a pizza night movie. Whoever put it together knows how to make a movie, and if you dig noir in general, and have reasonable expectations, this won't disappoint. The New Jersey locations add a touch of the exotic, and the performances are perfectly fine throughout. Some viewers may find the ending predictable, even so this rises to about the same level as various serial noir pictures of the classic era and avoids any excessive violence or embarrassing eroticism.

Taut mystery that kept me guessing until the end

[hausrathman · 8/10 · 21 April 2009]

Johnathon Schaech does that thing he does best playing Aaron Tyler, who hosts of a weekly poker game of his old friends. The game is interrupted by the appearance of a burglar, whose death leads everyone into a devastating spiral of treachery and deceit. The film takes some rather surprising liberties with the Ed Gorman novel, but it works on its own level thanks to the sure-handed direction of Tim McCann and the cast. Aside from the always reliable Schaech, I particularly enjoyed Johnny Messner as a cynical former baseball player, now a strip club owner, and Judy Reyes. It was good seeing her outside of her Scrubs. (Not that we see her completely out of her Scrubs, if you know what I mean.) Well worth a look.

A nice indie thriller

[Larrondo · 10/10 · 18 April 2009]

I've been a fan of Tim McCann for a long time, an underrated, cult director who always brings a gritty, realistic edge to his films. While this is a more conventional story than the brooding, psychological Runaway, or the insane, disturbing, genre-bending Nowhere Man, the snappy direction and some nice performances elevate this crime drama. A few of the plot developments require a little willing suspension of disbelief, but that's often the case in these 'Hitchcockian' thrillers. Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised, and happy to see the charismatic Loren Dean and a good jittery performance by McCann stalwart Michael Risley.

So very worth watching - even more than once...

[WayGoneBy · 10/10 · 1 June 2009]

"The Poker Club" is truly a well-done film, providing a dynamic cast of characters, a gripping tale, great diversions, and the actors do a wonderful job in each of their roles.

Kudos to Johnathon Schaech for his capable writing and smooth character portrayal. Oooo I love that guy!

Kudos to Judy Reyes, playing her character so very well. She met this challenge!

The story unfolds holding your interest because of the actors' capable performances.

I'm not much on dramas but this captures your interest and holds your attention. I watched is several different nights and each time I found myself as interested as the first time. WONDERFUL FILM!