'Finder's Fee (2001)' is a single location morality play about a man who finds a winning lottery ticket in a lost wallet and has to decide whether to keep it or not, something which is made more complex by the arrival of the wallet's owner. The film's cast is comprised of just a handful of major players, most notably a quartet of poker-playing friends and the man who interrupts their night to claim hits misplaced property. There are some secondary characters who pop up here and there - the lead character's girlfriend, an old lady who lives opposite the apartment the flick takes place almost entirely within, and a police chief who locks down the building during an investigation into the whereabouts of a fugitive - but it's really a story about the interplay between five people, and mainly two of those five people. It uses this simplicity to its advantage, crafting an ever-changing narrative in which you're never quite sure what certain people are thinking or what they're going to do next. The dialogue and performances combine to create that specific kind of unreal reality that fast-talking, 'cool' movies of this era often lean into (very minor Tarantino, in a way), and the single-location nature of the narrative furthers the play-like feeling of the affair. There are some undeniably cinematic touches, primarily when it comes to some brief flashes of non-continuity editing, but it's mostly naturalistic stuff that makes you feel like you're locked in this apartment with these old buddies and the stranger they've let in. The cast are all really good in their roles, delivering dialogue that's sometimes overwritten yet often amusing (someone is described as being "like a Russian novel. Hard to read.") in a convincing - if occasionally 'student actor' (this doesn't apply to James Earl Jones or Robert Forster) - kind of way. There's a real sense of camaraderie and history between its core characters, which further puts their mysterious new guest at a distance and increases your suspicion of him even though it's the protagonist who's in the wrong... most of the time. The story works well for the most part, but it does unravel a little in retrospect. That's because it opts to end on a reveal that's initially disarming and fun, if somewhat predictable, but starts to fall apart almost as soon as you start to think about its actual implications. Still, it doesn't totally ruin the overall experience, it just dampens its effect somewhat. Overall, this is an entertaining little chamber piece that makes good use of its cast and relatively tight screenplay. It's engaging throughout, even if it's not always completely compelling, and it has plenty of enjoyable reveals that are diverting, albeit not as clever as they may initially seem to be (or, at least, as the film itself seems to think they are). It's a solid effort from the host of survivor. It isn't a particularly good poker picture, though.
Review of Finder's Fee
