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Four Dogs Playing Poker

Director: Paul Rachman

Cast: Olivia Williams, Tim Curry, Stacey Edwards, Balthazar Getty, George Lazenby

Country: U.S.
Year: 1999
Running Time: 98 Min.
Format: 35mm

Director Paul Rachman describes his debut feature film thus, "Our film is neither a crime drama nor a caper, but an enthralling story of friendship, distrust, and ultimate betrayal." Five friends, novice thieves, lift a valuable Degas statuette from an Argentine diplomat. After the goods disappear en route home, the ruthless black market art dealer, anticipating said delivery, demands that they come up with $1 million dollars. Facing certain death, the group concocts a plan involving $1 million life insurance policies and a secret lottery to determine who will take a bullet for the team, and who will deliver the hit.

Featuring a stellar cast including Olivia Williams (Rushmore, The Sixth Sense), Stacy Edwards (Chicago Hope, In the Company of Men), Forest Whitaker (Crying Game, Smoke), Belthazar Getty (Lost Highway), one time James Bond George Lazenby (On Her Majesty's Secret Service) and Tim Curry (Rocky Horror Picture Show), 4 Dogs Playing Poker is stylish, thrilling, and fun.

-Gabriel Wardell

Presented By: Paul Rachman
Bio

Paul Rachman is an award winning music video director and filmmaker who began his career at Propaganda Films and quickly became one of the industry's top music video directors. He has directed over 60 music videos and has worked with such artists as Alice In Chains, The Replacements, Temple of the Dog, Sepultura, Roger Waters, Joan Jett, and the Bad Brains. Rachman has garnered several awards and many nominations for his music video work, including an MTV award for Best Hard Rock Video for Sepultura and an MVPA Breakthrough Video award for Alice In Chains' "Man in the Box."

Though Four Dogs Playing Poker is his feature film directorial debut, Rachman has won several awards for his short films, which have aired nationally on Showtime and The Sundance Channel. In addition, he is a founding filmmaker and programmer for the Slamdance Film Festival.