Shade

March 12th, 2004







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Shade

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Plot
Shade is set in the world of poker hustlers working the clubs and martini bars of Los Angeles. The tale...

Release Year: 2003

Rating: 6.3/10 (7,391 voted)

Critic's Score: 40/100

Director: Damian Nieman

Stars: Joe Nicolo, Carl Mazzocone Sr., George Tovar

Storyline
Shade is set in the world of poker hustlers working the clubs and martini bars of Los Angeles. The tale unfolds as a group of hustlers encounter "The Dean" and pull off a successful sting that results in their pursuit by a vengeful gangster.

Cast:
Joe Nicolo - Ritchie
Carl Mazzocone Sr. - Older Wiseguy (as Carl M. Mazzocone Sr.)
George Tovar - Paulie
Frank Medrano - Sal
Jason Cerbone - Young Dean Stevens
Mark De Alessandro - Hitman #1
Doc Duhame - Hitman #2
Shane T. Anderson - Hitman #3
Thandie Newton - Tiffany
Glenn Plummer - Gas Station Attendant
Gabriel Byrne - Charlie Miller
Mick Rossi - Club Patron #1
Sean Stanek - Club Patron #2
Holly Catarancuic - Girl in Hallway
Carl Mazzocone - Doorman

Taglines: Look Deeper.

Release Date: 12 March 2004

Filming Locations: 902 N Broadway, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office Details

Budget: $6,800,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend: $10,696 (USA) (11 April 2004) (1 Screen)

Gross: $33,225 (USA) (16 May 2004)



Technical Specs

Runtime:



Did You Know?

Trivia:
In the beginning of the movie, you see a lot of card cheating devices that have been used throughout the 19th and 20th Century. Among them is the Kepplinger holdout device which was the most popular card cheating device used.

Goofs:
Continuity: At the final game, when the camera looks at Vernon, we see Tiffany smoking behind him, apart from Miller. But when the camera shows Tiffany herself, we see she's right beside Miller.

Quotes:
Marlo: Excuse me, I'm vibrating.



User Review

Flawed fun

Rating: 6/10

Shade draws its audience into a world of sharp suits, jazzy tunes and card tricks, which, despite its obvious cool, doesn't really make the grade.

That isn't to say that Shade isn't entertaining. It looks good, it sounds good, and the performances are effective enough (Foxx is particularly...noticeable), but the film just isn't as well done as other con movies such as The Grifters (1990), and is way below the sophistication of bigger heist movies such as Ocean's Eleven (2001).

My biggest problem with Shade was the the final plot twist. It seemed a bit unnecessary. The biggest problem in terms of plot is that it's based on an a grudge from an event that happened before the film starts, that we only learn about through infrequent references. Sure, there's tension between Charlier (Grabriel Byrne) and Vernon (Stuart Townsend), but it's not enough, and it's something that could have been made clearer with a flashback or even a short conversation. After all, they did it enough for Stevens (Stallone), and he's a supporting character at the most.

That being said, Shade is still a decent enough con movie to be worth watching, and while it has a few problems, that doesn't stop it being enjoyable.

And it *did* make me want to play poker.





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