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Review

“Is it about the art or the money?” young con man Vern (Townsend) is asked midway through first-time director Nieman’s atmospheric and scintillating look at a group of L.A. grifters. That answer won’t come easy as betrayals, twists, turns and hustles are maneuvered with heartless precision by a cast of expert, desperate characters. Charlie Miller (Byrne) has the perfect scam, and he brings back former partner Vern to help pull it off. Vern is one of the most talented card men there is – second only to “The Dean” (Stallone), a legendary card hustler. They team with Tiffany (Newton), Charlie’s current flame and Vern’s former lover, and low-level mob runner Jennings (Foxx), to score big at a floating poker game – money which will get them into the “big” game against The Dean himself and which could net millions. Writer-director Nieman keeps the action brisk and the tension palpable as the twists start coming fast and furious. And the final poker game is filled with suspense as it becomes clear it’s anybody’s game. Byrne is back in Usual Suspects territory, and he wears this con man with comfort and grace; Townsend is charming and effortlessly deceiving; and the alluring Newton combines both beauty and ruthless ambition as a woman who would cut out a man’s heart for profit. And then there’s Stallone, who brings the same kind of intensity to his card shark as he did as the idealistic police officer in the acclaimed Copland. It’s an unexpected, pleasurable performance. A film bristling with excitement and some extraordinary sleight of hand, Shade will keep you guessing right up until the final, surprising twist.

 -- David Bleiler