The film takes place in the seedy underbelly of New York's gambling and hustling milieu, where organized crime rules the working class neighborhoods. The basements of century-old red-brick houses are transformed into an el dorado for high stakes poker. This is a sub-culture that's far from the gambling mecca of nearby Atlantic City, in which the John and Jane Doe's of suburbia waste their kids college funds at the craps table. Instead, it's Manhattan's underground gambling scene, and denizens of this shady netherworld speak their own slang, and "winning the pot" means more than making a small fortune—it means winning pride and respect.

This is the background in which aspiring law student Mike (Matt Damon) and his best friend Worm (Edward Norton) seek out the games and people they're going to work. They call themselves "rounders," a term that describes professional poker players who make the rounds, searching for big poker games.

The drama begins with Mike losing his tuition in a high-stakes poker game against an Oreo-munching local Russian known as Teddy KGB (John Malkovich), who is respected and feared not only for his poker skills but also for his connections to the Russian mob. Nine months pass and we learn that Mike gave up his addiction, in part to save his relationship with fellow law student and girlfriend Jo (Gretchen Mol). His new life as a law-abiding citizen, which consists of working as a delivery driver by night and a student by day, changes when Worm is released from prison. Before long, the two are busy taking out a group of Ivy League school kids.

No need to mention that trouble is just waiting around the corner when Worm explains that he still owes an incredible amount of money to Teddy KGB. The good-hearted Mike steps in for his friend and finds himself in an uneasy situation with the law, the Russian mob, and his shattered dreams. All of the sudden, his relationship with his girlfriend is going down the drain, his future career as a lawyer is in question, and his hopes for becoming the world champion of poker seem as far away as ever.

Make no mistake, Rounders is not the typical drama that offers up art-house-style trauma. It's merely pure Hollywood cliché mixed with director John Dahl's feel for film noir and dark, moody atmospheres.

As for the performances, Edward Norton in particular is compelling as the conflicted, adrenaline-rush-seeking card player who, on his way to the depths of self-destruction, inevitably drags down everyone around him. Matt Damon plays a character quite similar to the working-class-kid-turned-genius he played in Good Will Hunting, but he does it well.

In a supporting role, John Turturro is dazzling as Joey Knish, a Jewish-Russian mentor to Mike. His is a character who embodies all the mysteriousness and fascinating ambience that defines the gambling subculture.

The DVD extras include two commentary tracks. One features actor Edward Norton, director John Dahl, and screenwriter duo Brian Koppelman and David Levien, who talk about the production process and the usual mishaps and experiences heard on other commentary tracks. Track number two includes the sparse but entertaining remarks of four World Champions of Poker. It's especially interesting when these experts comment on the accuracy of the film's poker scenes. The DVD, which features 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound and a Widescreen transfer of 2.35:1, also comes with a behind-the-scenes documentary and 20 poker tips from the aforementioned professionals. One of the most annoying and useless extras ever added on a DVD is an interactive poker tutorial and game, which you play using your DVD's remote control. The configuration of buttons on a tiny DVD remote kills your last nerves. A DVD-ROM feature playable on a computer would've made more sense.

Part of Miramax' 25th Anniversary Collector's Edition series, Rounders finally gets its deserved DVD release—a barebones version came out a few years ago, which was completely lacking any special features. In the annals of gambling dramas, Rounders might not match the suspense and greatness of classics such as Hard Eight or House of Games, but it does have its charms, its winning moments.