A new poker-themed movie has been released today called “Dead Money” starring Emile Hirsch, who also featured in films such as “Into The Wild”, “Speed Racer” and “The Girl Next Door”. The main cast is rounded out by David Keith, India Eisley, Rory Culkin, and Jackie Earle Haley.
Here’s the synopsis for “Dead Money”:
Professional poker player Andy and his girlfriend Chloe are involved in a crazy 24 hours after a home poker game is robbed. Andy finds up playing the largest poker game of his life as both of their lives are in danger.
You can watch the movie trailer in this video:
Emile Hirsch prepared for the film by taking Daniel Negreanu‘s Master Class and playing an exclusive high stakes cash game. He recounted it on his Twitter account: “The producers took me to Alan Keating‘s High Stakes game in Vegas and the first night I lost $100K. I felt like I could win, so the next day I sat down with $80K. Halfway through the second day I was down $40K and was about to lose my mind. With $40K in my stack I just folded until I started hitting some good cards: Aces, Kings, Jacks. I went from $40K to $210K in just an hour of play. I walked away a winner, gave back my chips, and walked away from the game feeling like Rocky Balboa. I was ready to film Dead Money after that!”
The screenwriter for “Dead Money” was Josh Wilcox, who describes himself as a writer, filmmaker and gambler. Josh played cash games in Atlanta and Los Angeles for 20 years and knows the world of poker firsthand. We got in touch with him to ask him about his story, the script, realism in poker movies, filming, anecdotes, gambling movies and much more.
Interview with Josh Wilcox
Tell us how the idea of writing a script about your experience playing cash games in Los Angeles came about.
I actually started out playing home games around Atlanta, this script is inspired by the absurdity of those games. I moved out to Los Angeles a few years ago and have played in most of the card rooms here at one point or another.
What kind of games did you play? Always in casinos or also in private ones? What positive and negative memories do you have from that time in your life?
I’ve played poker almost 20 years now and have played a range of blinds and various games. Mostly I play in the $5/$10 blind range. But, I’ve played in home games (both legal and illegal), casino and card rooms all over the country and some internationally. It’s such a complex, beautiful game and the best part is the people you meet while playing. Elements of those people I’ve played with over the years have found their way into the characters in the movie.
On your website you say that your work as an indie filmmaker and poker player have several similarities. What are they?
Really referring to the way deals get made for films and the way people bluff/posture at the poker table. Reading people and reading situations is useful in both. Plus, there’s an aspect of maintaining a persona at the home games so that you continue to be invited back while trying to take everyone’s money. There’s times that the indie film hustle feels a lot like that.
How long did the filming and editing process take? Do you have any funny anecdotes to share?
We shot the movie in May 2023 (about a month of shooting) and the editing and post was probably finished up early 2024. Pretty good timeline in my experience. We would try to organize small home games for some of the cast and producers that wanted to play in our off time, those games were a lot of fun. And then there were a couple times where a cast member wanted to play a private home game in Atlanta (where we were shooting), it was fun getting them into a game and playing there with them in the places that inspired the movie.
How does it feel to have one of your scripts turned into a film? Are you happy with the final result?
It’s amazing to see the words come to life. The crew and production team were great, they killed it, and it was a blast to see them do their thing. And listening to dialogue that I wrote come out of so many talented actors, the way they were able to put their spin on it and bring it to life, it was an outstanding experience. Overall, very happy. And, I think the movie’s a lot of fun, can’t wait for people to enjoy it.
Many poker movies make the mistake of not being realistic. Do you think “Dead Money” doesn’t fall into that category?
Trust me, you’re preaching to the choir on this. The producers and I talked endlessly about how to keep the poker in the movie as realistic as possible. I was actually on set for the whole production as the Poker Consultant since I know this world so intimately. Of course, there are always production and filming constraints, but we set out to make a realistic poker movie set in an absurd movie world of crime-thriller action.
What I think “Dead Money” does really well, is capture the ‘rush’ that a poker player/gambler gets when they’re riding high, winning big and then we follow them along the roller coaster of emotions up and down that so many poker players will know all too well.
Emile Hirsch said he played in Alan Keating’s game to prepare himself. Do you think he could be a good poker player?
Haha, that’s a fun story. I’ve played with Emile a few times over the last year or so and he definitely has a ton of poker potential.
What reasons would you give our readers to watch “Dead Money”?
I mean, if you have any background in poker at all, you’ll recognize a lot of familiar characters from your home games. The absurdity of the gambling world is front and center. It’s a blast.
Besides VOD, is there any chance we’ll be able to watch the film on any streaming platform?
I’m certain it will find its way to a streaming platform after being out in theaters and on VOD.
What are your favorite poker or gambling movies?
Recently, I loved “Uncut Gems” and “Molly’s Game”. “Rounders” is always up at the top of the list of course. And then, some classics are “Cincinnati Kid”, “California Split”, and I have a soft spot for “Maverick”. Oh, and I have a small cameo in “Mississippi Grind” which is a great movie.
If you could choose any poker story or poker player to be made into a movie, which would you choose?
I actually read “Amoralman: A True Story and Other Lies” by Derek DelGaudio recently and I thought it would make a great poker movie.
Where to watch Dead Money
There are several options for watching the film depending on where you live:
- In the United States it is available on Amazon to rent for $6.99 or buy for $19.98
- In the United States it is also available on iTunes to watch with Apple TV
- In Canada it is available to rent for $6.99 on the Shaw platform
Hopefully it will soon be acquired by a streaming platform so that it can reach a wider audience.
Emile on Hustler Casino Live
“Dead Money” star Emile Hirsch will be celebrating the film’s release by taking part in the highly-regarded Hustler Casino Live game on Friday, September 13th. Blinds will be set at $50/$100 and will feature popular vlogger Mariano, Mike X, Dylan Flashner, Denis The Menace, and Linglin, among others. You can catch all the action starting at 5 PM Pacific on the Hustler Casino Live YouTube channel.
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