The Music of Chance

James Nashe (Mandy Patinkin), a man who has been aimlessly driving around the country for a year, trying to regain control of his life, picks up a bruised and ragged drifter by the side of the road one day. The drifter, Jack Pozzi (James Spader) turns out to be a seedy young poker player, down on his luck but hoping to strike it rich after winning against two eccentric millionaires who have invited him to a game at their posh mansion. In a spontaneous decision, Nashe elects to accompany Pozzi and puts up his own meager savings to back him in the game. But what appeared to be a sure thing ends up going horribly wrong for the partners, and they lose everything. Their opponents propose a preposterous payback scheme: Pozzi and Nashe are to remain on the estate and erect a wall from the ruins of an old Irish castle. Left with no alternative, the two men agree, unaware that they are in for far more than they bargained. The film, based on Paul Auster's existentialist novel, is laden with symbolism and a growing sense of menace as the story progresses--an engrossing, atmospheric debut feature from director Philip Haas.