Poker Night Review from Wingman Productions
AKA: The Joker
Directed by: Greg Francis
Written by: Doug Buchanan, Greg Francis
Produced by: Corey Large, Chad Krowchuk, Aaron Rattner
Cinematography by: Brandon Cox
Editing by: Howard E. Smith
Music by: Scott Glasgow
Special Effects by: Willard Cochrane
Cast: Beau Mirchoff, Ron Perlman, Giancarlo Esposito, Titus Welliver, Michael Eklund, Ron Eldard
Year: 2014
Country: Canada
Language: English
Color: Color
Runtime: 1h 44min
Studio: Wingman Productions
Instead of
inspiring viewers to learn how to play poker, Greg Francis’
film Poker Night (The Joker as it was called in its UK
release) prompted viewers to head for the cinema exits. The
movie’s plot was intriguing enough to convince Wingman
Productions to commission its release.
Between the film’s initial commission and its theatrical
release in December 2014, something went terribly wrong.
Join us as we take a look back at the car-crash film that
failed to build on the early promise of an exciting premise.
The guiding hand behind Poker Night, Greg Francis was
labelled as an up and coming independent director by Wingman
Productions when the film was in production. That
description conjures up images of a forward-thinking
director full of new and innovative ideas.
However a quick search into his directing history offers up
a completely different portrayal of Greg Francis. Movie
‘mega-hits’ such as
Paleoworld, New Beginning, and Devil in the Details are
all listed on Francis’ CV.
None of those films were successful and all of them were
panned by critics for being generic, lacking in detail and
poorly directed. From the outset Wingman Productions should
have been sceptical about the prospects of Poker Night.
For a director with the calibre and history of Greg Francis,
some of the names associated with this movie could be seen
as somewhat of a coup. Ron Eldard played the leading role of
Cunningham in this film, and brought a wealth of acting
experience to the role.
However if you look at it critically, Eldard is an actor
whose best days are well behind him. The 54-year-old rose to
prominence in a series of comedy films in the late ‘80s and
early ‘90s, with arguably his best role coming in the 1996
film Sleepers where he co-starred alongside Brad Pitt and
Kevin Bacon.
His appearance in Poker Night very much signalled the death
rattle of a middling career that was close to the end. As an
actor who had
played his best roles in comedy, Eldard was perhaps not
the best fit for the lead in a horror film.
Beau Mirchoff, the actor who portrayed Jeter was a similarly
uninspiring cast member from Greg Francis. In 2006 Mirchoff
appeared in his first film as Robbie Ryan in Scary Movie 4,
a film not too far off Poker Night.
Since his role in Poker Night, Birchoff has somewhat revived
his career by appearing in the remake of Flatliners in 2017.
Yet he still remains well below the level required of the
industry’s elite actors.
Ron Perlman was a surprise inclusion in the cast of Poker
Night. As an actor with a genuinely impressive track record
it was a surprise to see him in this production. Although in
recent years his output has significantly increased, with
the former Hellboy actor apparently keen to take a
quick buck from any production company willing to feature
him in their films.
It was a disappointing film for former Breaking Bad actor
Giancarlo Esposito who continued his unsuccessful transition
into film with this horror flick. Despite demonstrating his
undoubted talent on the smaller screen, Esposito has been
unable to forge ahead in feature films.
His role as Bernard in Poker Night has done nothing to
enhance his reputation as a movie actor.
The plot of Poker Night is as follows: It’s a
tradition that every new police detective in Warsaw, Indiana
attends a poker night with some of the most experienced
officers in the business. It’s not just about having fun and
winning money, it’s an opportunity for a new recruit to
learn from the tales of long in the tooth cops.
Detective Stan Jeter is enjoying his evening, taking as much
as he can from every story dispensed by the wily old cops.
But just as the game begins to get serious, and brave
strategies like
going all in begin to make an appearance, disaster
strikes when Jeter leaves the game and is abducted by a
violent psychopath who locks him in a basement. Sounding
dull already? (Yaaaawn).
Confined to the basement, Jeter must use his powers of
recall to remember the stories he was told by his
experienced colleagues. Each tale told to him forms part of
a puzzle that will inevitably aid him in his escape.
His confinement isn’t your usual case of kidnap — it’s one
that involves, quite frankly, absurd psychological
happenings and exhausted horror film tropes.
So where did Poker Night go wrong? Greg Francis’s biggest
achievement with this film is also his biggest failure. In
the opening 10-minutes an air of anxiety is introduced to
viewers, putting them on the edge of their seats in
anticipation of what will happen next.
Unfortunately this early anxiety is completely
disturbed by the frequent flashbacks that confuse
viewers and detract from the action. Instead of keeping
viewers engaged, Francis seems to challenge them to remain
interested.
As the increasingly obvious puzzle becomes more and more
prominent, Francis is seemingly saying “I dare you to keep
watching.” The problem is, most people don’t agree to that
particular challenge.
Another key criticism of Poker Night is the film’s perverse
homage to every horror film that has ever existed. The
Scary Movie series sought to satirise these worn-out stereotypes,
but there is no hint of irony in Poker Night’s homage to
those worn out tropes.
If you’re still asking yourself “Should I watch Poker
Night?” after reading this far then I fear for your sanity.
Poker Night is a film that should be avoided at all costs by
anyone looking to have an enjoyable hour and a half of
viewing pleasure.
If however you’re studying film then this would be highly
recommended viewing, if nothing more than an example of how
a movie should NOT be made.