The Australian-American thriller film, Poker Face, got released on 16 November 2022 with limited theatrical release. It got directed by Russell Crowe and written by Stephen M. Coates.
A tech billionaire, Jake Foley (played by Russell Crowe), is playing poker with his friends at his place. He wants them to reveal their long-kept secrets. Things go wrong when intruders enter the place, and the friends must help each other fight the situation.
Poker Face is a 95-minute-long movie distributed by Screen Media. The production companies for the film are MEP Capital, Stan, Sky, and Alceon Entertainment Partners. Meanwhile, the screenplay and direction got done by Russell Crowe.
The characters in Poker Face are Andrew Johnson (RZA), Jake Foley (Russell Crowe), Michael Nankervis (Liam Hemsworth), Alex Harris (Aden Young), Paul Muccino (Steve Bastoni), Rebecca Foley (Molly Grace), and more.
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Poker Face Plot
The main characters, as kids, jump into a lake from a cliff at the beginning of the film. These Poker lovers turn into business partners by developing the software. Jake, the tech billionaire, calls his friends to his place to play the life-changing and hard-stakes card game.
Jake knows that his inner circle consists of liars. He dares to reveal their truths while playing the game. Meanwhile, the house gets attacked by the intruders out of the blue, and the situation turns into a heist, hostage, panic, and twists.
Paul Tassone’s performance as a villain will leave you mesmerized. However, the poker element gets lost due to the intruders, and the characters do not touch that part again. The Poker dealer, Elsa Pataky, ’s appearance was unnecessary.
The film would be better if the filmmakers made it one out of the psychological drama or only money heist. So, Crowe made a mess by including both genres.
Poker Face Filming Locations
Russell Crowe had to direct Poker Face in 2021 amid the pandemic. So, he put the condition of following his own will. Crowe did not want to get restricted by the traditional genre-driven surrounding. He created the film like an artist making a painting. It is how he took over the ‘unshootable’ project. It was crazy, and the situation tested his patience. But, he came over it.
However, the viewers are only concerned with the story that gets inclined only one side at a time. Russell had to start from scratch. Principal photography began in July 2021 and got halted till February 2022 due to the pandemic. However, the filming got wrapped within a few days in February 2022.
NSW South Coast
An MP showed anger against the director because everyone remained in lockdown, and the director had to get out only to shoot a film by mocking the public health orders. The South Coast comes between Sydney and the border with Victoria. It is a region in New South Wales, Australia.
The stunning backdrops of NSW were perfect for the filmmakers to film the outdoor sequences. The government authorities only allowed them to film the outdoor sequences there.
Kiama, South Of Sydney
Jake’s luxurious life got filmed in the Pebble Cove Farm at this location. Russell Crowe shared an image of the beautiful place called ‘Kiama’ on Twitter. Shellharbour and Greater Sydney, and some other locations, require only a 15-minute drive from Kiama. The filming got questioned there too.
However, the cast and crew members claimed to work within strict COVID-19 guidelines. The questions remained valid only during the pandemic, but Russell believed the filming locations would attract more tourists after the film’s release.
Sydney Harbor Tunnel got used to filming the chasing sequences, and a few sequences got filmed in a house in Waverton Suburb.
Disney Studios, Moore Park
The filmmakers required only a few weeks to shoot some sequences in Disney Studios, Moore Park, according to the schedule. A set resembling the real-life location got made in Building 16, 38 Driver Avenue. The Fox Studios got established in 1988 in Moore Park. It got acquired by Disney in 2022 and got famous as ‘Disney Studios.’ The studio is only open to filmmakers, and many Marvel films you must have seen got filmed there.
Crown Sydney, Barangaroo
The Poker night got filmed only at a few allotted locations in the Hotel of Crown Sydney. They could not get anywhere else in the hotel for filming. Similarly, they got warned not to disturb the daily work of the hotel’s staff members.
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