Eric Bana, Drew Barrymore, Robert Duvall.

Running time: 124 minutes.

. .

DREW Barrymore's croaky voice and kooky mannerisms would drive a man to the gambling houses. Here she's the saving grace of Eric Bana's Huck Cheever . . . an incorrigible poker player who spends night and day on the card tables of Las Vegas.

Cheever is gifted but he's also a 'blaster' . . . the type of player who takes enormous risks and regularly loses the shirt on his back. The object of the film is to discover why. Director Curtis Hanson gives the film a lazy pace to tease out some psychology but the insight is shallow. Somehow, despite Eric Roth's groan-clumsy script and the sheer boredom of watching other people play cards, it's an enjoyable watch.

Perhaps it's because of the way Las Vegas is captured, stripped of its bright lights to reveal the humdrum behind it, while the languorous pace gives the film a lowkey charm.

Robert Duvall plays Cheever's dad, a wily poker ace who holds the cards to Cheever's future.

Bana plays reckless without getting worked up about it. While Barrymore, who can't help but fall for the bad boy, is rewarded with some of the worst dialogue in the film.

After the highs and lows of LA Confidential, Wonder Boys, Eight Mile and In Her Shoes, what next for the gambler Curtis Hanson?