da03 Stu Ungar had one of the most exciting and crazy lives a poker player/gambler could have, and this movie does an incredibly poor job of showing it. I am a poker player and a fan of poker in general and was extremely excited to hear that a movie about arguably the greatest player ever had been made. All this movie does is gloss over his life. The poker scenes never last more than 1 or 2 hands, so there is no depiction of the flow or struggle experienced in large tournaments like the WSOP. His well known struggle with drugs is barely even touched. In real life, the guy had to have surgery done on his nose because he snorted so much coke that he ate through the cartilage, and then he started smoking crack to avoid damaging it further. In the movie, there is only one scene of him snorting coke. Not a thing is mentioned about his step son who killed himself which sent Stuey further into self destructive behaviors, why would such a crucial life moment be left out? Also, towards the end, the movie gives the impression that Stu is recovering. There are multiple scenes of him being rehabilitated by his Vegas friend who tries to show him how to live a normal life and it seems to be working. Then it jumps to Stuey dying in his hotel room to end the movie. What the hell? Show the downswing! As far as I am concerned, a legit Stuey Ungar movie has yet to be made. I blame the writing, even with quality actors like Micheal Imperioli, this script fails to tell an accurate story. I realize things need to be changed a bit for a Hollywood movie, but this falls so short that it gives a false interpretation of Stuey's life and I would not recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about Stu Ungar.

justincward This movie can't make up its mind whether it's a biopic or a gambling drama; it's neither, and it collapses under the strain. Individual scenes are very well written, it does hit the mark when he says "I'd rather blow my **** brains out!", and the foregone ending is well handled. I like the trick of having Death get Stuey to relate his life story in a sort of double flashback, and the casting of Young Stuey is uncanny, he looks like a baby Michael Imperioli. But Imperioli just doesn't look like Ungar, 'The Kid', in any way. This doesn't help the problem that if you know about Ungar's life the film gets it wrong, and if you don't know about Ungar's life it doesn't tell the story very well. The suicide of his other daughter (which is omitted) was probably the one thing that sent him right off the rails, but we never get to examine just why he was so self-destructive: many people's fathers beat them up and they don't become crackheads. Imperioli wasn't exactly miscast, he is very convincing as a louche gambler, but the Ungar storyline is too weak as depicted. And the soundtrack is overdone. This is a watchable TV movie about lowlife, but no more. It might have helped to have got Stu's haircut right, at least you wouldn't keep expecting Johnny Sack to walk in...

filmflam-1 What is it about certain films that generates such polar opposite reactions?Some people here have called High Roller "disgusting." Some have called it "extraordinary" (as would I, actually).Why? I think it's because films like this don't make heroes out of jerks, or glamour out of degeneration, and some people just can't deal with that emotionally. They NEED a hero. And I'd also add that if they're gamblers or poker players, they might feel personally betrayed when their existence isn't justified.High Roller in NOT a poker movie. It's a PEOPLE movie. It's not perfect, but it looks good, is well-written, and wonderfully acted. And best of all, it generates an emotional response and inspires reflection.And maybe that's what makes some people so damn mad.

jwgmm 20 people rated this a 10! That ballot box was stuffed better than a Christmas turkey! Speaking of turkey's, here's a traditional story hoping to piggy-back on the current poker craze - without success. Told entirely in linear flashback, and when I say "told" I mean TALKED TO DEATH, this film never let's a picture suffice when words can be used to exposit.Stu Unger's childhood fascination with cards and his associations with hoodlums might sound like interesting movie material, but the director manages to suck the life out of them. At no point did I feel the least bit of sympathy for Unger, a genius at cards who threw it all away on other forms of gambling at which he was not so proficient. Of course, this leads, as we wade through THREE musical montages, to the inevitable downward spiral of drugs, loss of family, and finally his redemption (sort of). Big yawn!