Ben Mendelsohn steals this buddy movie about a pair of sad sack 'grinders' (a term for people who gamble for a living) who befriend each other after meeting across a poker table. Reynolds has made a solid career playing fast talking cocky charmers but placed in a supporting role amidst this cast he brings a depth and complexity to his character that is original and thoughtful. This is about people who are doing the best they can trying to manage in a world that is unfair, uneventful and especially unforgiving to people who choose to live in a world constantly surrounded with bad choices. They are unexceptional well-intentioned people who long ago abandoned any fatal optimism for the future but still need to make their way within the limited confines of what they know and where they find themselves. It is a grim, lonely and stark existence which makes for an engrossing film.
Review of Mississippi Grind
