Dead Money

“All a good player wants is profit,” says Andy (Emile Hirsch) at the start of Luc Walpoth’s gritty little poker thriller. He explains, in voiceover, how it really all comes down to calculations, to maths – and, of course, the human factor. He’s proud of his professionalism, of his sensible approach, his resistance to temptation. But Andy is full of shit. Just a few minutes into the film, in the course of his evening game, he’s making a bet that he can stay conscious if punched directly in the head.

This and a habit of making similarly impulsive decisions suggests that Andy is not the type to stay out of trouble for long. Like most serious gamblers, he’s trying to pay off debts. His girlfriend Chloe (India Eisley) tries to protect him but is under no illusions. There’s little either of them can do to protect themselves when that game is interrupted by a gang of violent robbers set on stealing all the cash – but it’s what Andy does next that really raises the stakes, and outs both their lives on the line.

Both Walpoth and screenwriter Josh Wilcox have a history of telling taut little stories about ordinary working class characters – relatable people who don’t have much in the way of special skills, who are not shining moral examples, who make stupid mistakes sometimes but who keep viewers with them anyway because they’re so deeply human. Despite his skills at the card table, Andy fits neatly into this category, and Hirsch is not far out of his niche as a likeable scruffy-looking guy who is continually getting beaten up. He and Eisley have an easy chemistry and share the screen time pretty evenly, though they’re apart for much of it. The filmmakers find a smart way to make Chloe vulnerable without having to treat her as weak and helpless – she is anything but – and the vulnerabilities of the film’s villains, most of whom seem equally out of their depth, gives some of its most brutal scenes a degree of poignancy.

Walpoth knows how to handle action, and there’s plenty of it here, up close and messy, characters improvising in ways that tend to test stunt teams much more than smooth martial arts moves. The intentionally uneven nature of it adds an element of uncertainty. It’s no surprise that the film’s climax depends in large part on the outcome of a poker game, but it’s anybody’s guess who will make it to the end.

Narrowly focused as it is, and shot across just a handful of locations, the film relies heavily on the quality of its cast, and a capable set of supporting actors sees it through. It’s no easy feat to tell a story visually in a situation where characters are supposed to be maintaining poker faces, but judicious cutting and use of asides keeps it interesting and maintains the tension. The film never soars, but it’s a solid piece of work.