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.

Please watch the original "Cincinati kid" if you have any respect for either poker or a good movie, even the quotes stolen directly from the original movie couldn't save the awful performance, quotes like" you were good kid, but as long as I am around you will always be the second best".

Amazingly enough Sylvester Stallone gives his best performance after "Rocky I" but everyone including himself knows that his best is nothing even close to the brilliancy of Edward G. Robinson or Steve McQueen.

please save yourself a headache about why all the known rules of poker are broken and ignored in this movie or why the background annoying "music" never stops throughout the whole movie and instead enjoy the original masterpiece, "Cincinati kid".

Unfortunately I had to watch this worthless piece of junk last night only because there wasn't anything else on TV and I was too tired to getup and go to my PC for some serious web surfing, wrong choice..

"Shade" is actually a pretty good film -- but esp. for those who like any card game/s and/or films about "the con," such as Mamet's "House of Games," "The Griters," et al. The drama & dialogue aren't Mamet calibre, but hey: That's why Mamet is Mamet, eh!? Granted Griffin is the weakest of the ensemble, but hers is not so large a role that it should distract... exc. those who dislike her anyway. The credits are truly amazing and I stress: These are NOT camera or editing tricks or CGI; they are real hands in real time doing real manipulations... truly remarkable!! Tyro director Nieman, also its scripter, obviously (well, my guess, anyway!) drew upon the mood & style of varied "con" films, as well as "The Usual Suspects" et al. -- i.e., it's a non-linear unfolding of the story and a lot of intentionally vague relationships that leaves the viewer to fill in the blanks. Personally, I like obtuse films, but it may annoy those who insist on everything being spelled out, and in order. Not a great film, but a fine debut for Nieman and very interesting to view. Also excellent acting by most of the cast, with no real scenery chewing (exc. Jamie Foxx, who was a bit over the top; but hey, there ARE people who are like that, so...!?).