''Cold Deck'' is a 2015 Canadian thriller film directed by Zack Bernbaum, written by Stéfano Gallo,

Jason LaPeyre Jason Lapeyre is a Canadian film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for his 2012 film '' I Declare War'', which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and won the Audience Award at Fantastic Fest. ''I Declare Wa ...

, Slater Jewell-Kempker, and starring Gallo,

Robert Knepper Robert Lyle Knepper (born July 8, 1959) is an American actor best known for his role as Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell in the Fox drama series '' Prison Break'' (2005–2009, 2017), Samuel Sullivan in the final season of the NBC series ''Heroes'' (2 ...

, and

Paul Sorvino Paul Anthony Sorvino (, ; April 13, 1939 – July 25, 2022) was an American actor. He often portrayed authority figures on both the criminal and the law enforcement sides of the law. Sorvino was particularly known for his roles as Lucchese cri ...

. Gallo plays a compulsive gambler who, after a losing streak, accepts an offer by a local underworld figure (Sorvino) to rob a high stakes poker game hosted by a rich banker (Knepper).

Plot

Bobby, a compulsive gambler, lives with his invalid mother, Audrey, who disapproves of his gambling habit, as gambling was his father's ruin. Bobby dates Kim, a waitress at Chips' gaming hall, where he spends most of his time in poker games. As Audrey's bills pile up and Bobby's losing streak continues, Bobby's friend Ben suggests Bobby enter a high stakes poker game he has heard about and share the winnings. Convinced that the bankers will be easy prey, they steal a car to raise enough money for the

buy-in Buying in may refer to: *Buying in (poker), a tournament entrance fee *Buying in (securities), a process in which a buyer whose seller fails to deliver the securities contracted for, can "buy in" the securities from a third party *Management buy-i ...

. When this is not enough, Bobby steals his mother's life savings. The game is hosted by a wealthy man known as Turk. Amused to see Bobby there, Chips vouches for him, though Bobby is frustrated to see that he will be competing against another skilled player. Chips and Bobby easily eliminate the bankers, and when they are the only ones left, Turk takes out a suitcase that contains $250,000. Chips wins the pot despite not looking at his cards, frustrating Bobby. When he returns home, Bobby's mother kicks him out as he apologizes. Desperate, he moves in with Kim, who makes him agree to get his life in order if they are to be serious. Realizing that Turk keeps the game's pot poorly-guarded and in the open, Chips offers to hire Bobby to rob the next monthly game, which he will attend. Bobby initially refuses, but when he and Ben become depressed over their dead-end jobs at a factory floor, Ben talks him into it. Bobby and Ben storm the poker game with shotguns and tear gas. When Turk is reluctant to hand over the pot, they threaten his child. Although Chips is frustrated with their over-the-top entrance and lack of warning over the tear gas, he splits the take with them; both receive $50,000. Bobby repays his mother, settles his debts, and upgrades her care to include a new experimental drug. Chips provides an alibi for him, telling Turk that he has security footage of Bobby at the gaming hall. When Kim finds out how Bobby got the money, she makes him swear to go straight and avoid Chips. Bobby does so but asks why she hates Chips, guessing that she dated him. Kim confirms this and says that Chips once told her that he cheated Bobby's father out of a major win. Enraged, Bobby confronts Chips, who throws him out and turns in Ben to Turk. After killing Ben, Turk goes to Bobby's house. Bobby offers to help Turk get to Chips. Though Turk at first refuses to believe Chips was responsible for the heist, he agrees to Bobby's plan. Kim, an aspiring actress, arranges a meeting between Chips and Bobby, pretending to set up Bobby. Bobby talks Chips into playing one final game of poker to settle their dispute. As Bobby wins, Turk enters the room and kills Chips and his henchmen. As Turk deliberates over whether to kill Bobby, the police enter and kill him. Bobby escapes the bloodbath and thanks Kim for her help in setting it up.

Cast

* Stéfano Gallo as Bobby * Kjartan Hewit as Ben *

Jessica Sipos Jessica Sipos is a Canadian actor. She is best known for playing Sarah on ''Chesapeake Shores'', Hayley on ''UnREAL'' and Cassandra Savage on The CW’s ''Legends of Tomorrow''. Life and career Sipos was born in Victoria, British Columbia. Sh ...

as Kim *

Kate Trotter Kate Trotter (born February 5, 1953) is a Canadian film, television and stage actress. Career Her television roles have included appearances in '' Wild Roses'', ''Covert Affairs'', ''Lost Girl'', '' The Newsroom'', ''Paradise Falls'', '' Earth: F ...

as Audrey *

as Turk *

as Chips

Production

Shooting began in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Ontario, in October 2014.

Release

Screen Media Films Screen Media Ventures, LLC. is an American-Canadian distribution company founded in 2001. In 2008, Screen Media selected The Creative Coalition as its exclusive nonprofit partner in launching the Spotlight Initiative. The partnership permits the p ...

released it on video on demand on December 1, 2015, and it played theatrically in a limited release on December 4. It was released on DVD in April 2016.

Reception

Justin Lowe of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' called it "even less compelling than a game of gin rummy with grandma". Peter Howell of ''

The Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

'' rated it 1.5/4 stars and said the film is too familiar and suspense-free. Susan G. Cole of ''

Now Now most commonly refers to the present time. Now, NOW, or The Now may also refer to: Organizations * Natal Organisation of Women, a South African women's organization * National Organization for Women, an American feminist organization * Now ...

'' rated it 2/5 stars and called it "all set-up and no payoff". Brad Wheeler of ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'' rated it 1/4 stars and described it as "a poker-based heist film that deals in clichés". The ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' said the characters are "as overly familiar as they are under-developed".

References

External links

* * {{Rotten Tomatoes, cold_deck_2015 2015 films 2015 crime thriller films Canadian crime thriller films English-language Canadian films Films shot in Toronto Canadian heist films Films about poker 2010s English-language films 2010s Canadian films English-language crime thriller films Films directed by Zack Bernbaum