Australian movie legend Russell Crowe has starred in some of the biggest blockbusters since the turn of the millennium, including Gladiator, 3:10 to Yuma, The Mummy, and countless others. 

His latest achievement, though, represents the fulfilment of one of the toughest challenges of the 58 year old’s career to date. Not only did Crowe play the starring role in the thriller, he also wrote the screenplay and directed the production.  

An Australian story in Australia  

At the movie’s Sydney premiere, Crowe explained that the project was on the brink of collapse when it had barely started. On being handed Stephen M. Coates’s original script, Crowe was offered the project on the condition production got underway within five weeks. Crowe added: “you’d normally have the advantage of 12 or 18 months” before starting on production, so it certainly focused his mind.  

Crowe also had stipulation of his own. The original script called for the story to be filmed in Sydney but set in Los Angeles. Crowe said this rendered the film “unshootable” – not least because the sun would be setting in the wrong direction in relation to the ocean! He therefore insisted that the story be set in Australia and would mostly feature Australian actors.  

Crowe’s greatest challenge to date 

That turned out to be a more serious challenge than first envisaged. Crowe was offered the project in late 2019 and filming had barely started in 2020 when it ground to a halt for obvious reasons. A breakout of a certain virus on set in 2021 caused another pause not long after filming resumed, and the flooding that hit eastern Australia in 2021 also caused a degree of havoc and disruption. There are more details about these floods at https://knowledge.aidr.org.au/resources/flood-new-south-wales-2021/.  

So it was that Crowe sometimes wondered whether Poker Face would ever appear on the big screen. He said he had no choice other than to “just push at it and push at it.” Despite the lack of preparation time and the other obstacles, he took pride in the fact that his determination to press on kept the 288 crew members involved in the project employed. He said that was something that would have been a source of pride for his father, who passed away in March 2021.   

Crowe also faced budgetary challenges, and had to think around corners and call in a few favors. For example, the luxury cars featured came from his own garage and from that of Crowe’s friend and neighbor John Laws, Australia’s most famous radio presenter. Also, the Crown Casino in Sydney gave permission for Crowe to film some of the action at their luxurious high-roller poker rooms on the 88th floor. 

Reflecting Australia’s casino culture  

The gambling backdrop to Poker Face’s plot is one that will strike a chord with Australians. Casino gaming is part of Australian culture, and while Russell Crowe was fighting his own battles in 2021, millions of his fellow Australians were flocking to online casino sites to get their fix of pokies and other casino games while land-based facilities were closed down. See https://www.casinoaus.net/online-pokies/ to get an idea of what is available.  

Australians spend more on gambling games like pokies, poker, blackjack and so on than any other nationality, so Crowe’s insistence that the movie should be set in Australia as well as being filmed there certainly made sense for cultural reasons as well as the more prosaic ones mentioned by the director.  

Overview and critical reception 

In Poker Face, Crowe plays the role of Jake, a tech billionaire with a love for poker that dates back to teenage years with his group of friends. When he is diagnosed with a terminal illness, he arranges for them to reunite for one last game, ostensibly to reform some old ties, but also, perhaps, to lay to rest some old ghosts.   

The movie progresses at breakneck speed, covering a home invasion as well as some family dramas. What it lacks in finesse, it makes up for in action, and the 95 minute runtime goes by in a flash. It’s enough to forgive any slight flaws in continuity or logic in the storyline.   

Rotten Tomatoes gave Poker Face an Approval Score of nine percent and MetaCritic gives it a rating of 43/100. Those figure aren’t great, but it seems people pay less and less attention to reviewers and more to one another these days. Poker Face demonstrates that public opinion is higher, with an imbd rating holding steady at a little over five.  

Published by HOLR Magazine