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Turn the River

Play trailer Poster for Turn the River R 2008 1h 32m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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62% Tomatometer 21 Reviews 45% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
Ten years ago, pool shark Kailey Sullivan (Famke Janssen) lost her only son, Gulley (Jaymie Dornan), in a bitter divorce custody battle. Now she wants to get him back, no matter what it takes. But, in order for Kailey to get enough money for fake passports so they can flee to Canada, she needs to win a big game of pool. With the help of her mentor, pool hall owner Quinette (Rip Torn), she's able to meet with Gulley in secret and also locate some competitors so she can have a game.
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Turn the River

Critics Reviews

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Peter Rainer Christian Science Monitor 05/16/2008
B-
Janssen, who reportedly did her own pool shooting, is [best] served in the scenes with Gulley, which are wrenching in a coolly understated way. Go to Full Review Carina Chocano Los Angeles Times 05/16/2008
2/5
A well-acted, if not terribly well-crafted, character-driven drama without much in the way of a purpose. Go to Full Review Amy Nicholson I.E. Weekly 05/15/2008
C-
We're left after this terse and anxious film knowing nothing more about the world than that Janssen looks cool bending over and glaring at the eight-ball Go to Full Review Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com 09/26/2020
2.5/4.0
Janssen offers the performance of her career. Go to Full Review Chad Greene Boxoffice Magazine 10/18/2008
1.5/5
Hopefully, more moviegoers will catch a performance as promising as this Turn in another rack. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Eivin W @RT03510114 06/04/2025 Dritkjedelig, finner ikke noe mening med hele filmen. See more steve d @RT35616104 06/29/2020 Not always an easy watch but Famke Janssen gives the best performance so far. The story is powerful as well. See more 01/10/2020 Good story. Very good acting by Kailey, Gully and Quinn. Sad ending. See more 01/04/2015 Why did she have to stop and see her ex at the end! Why??? See more 07/20/2014 Argh...what the what? High stakes poker? More like boring drivel. See more 07/07/2013 Enjoyed it untill the last 5 mins, what the hell kind of ending was that!! See more Read all reviews
Turn the River

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Cast & Crew

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Chris Eigeman

Director

Famke Janssen

Kailey

Rip Torn

Quinette

Jaymie Dornan

Gulley

Lois Smith

Abby

Matt Ross

David

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Turn the River

Turn the River (2007) Turn the River (2007) Turn the River (2007) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Ten years ago, pool shark Kailey Sullivan (Famke Janssen) lost her only son, Gulley (Jaymie Dornan), in a bitter divorce custody battle. Now she wants to get him back, no matter what it takes. But, in order for Kailey to get enough money for fake passports so they can flee to Canada, she needs to win a big game of pool. With the help of her mentor, pool hall owner Quinette (Rip Torn), she's able to meet with Gulley in secret and also locate some competitors so she can have a game.
Director
Chris Eigeman
Producer
Ami Armstrong
Screenwriter
Chris Eigeman
Distributor
Screen Media Ventures
Production Co
Bandora
Rating
R (Language)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 9, 2008, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 10, 2017
Runtime
1h 32m