Tales from the Crypt (TV Series) Cutting Cards (1990) User Reviews

"If you take on everyone who laughs at you you've a lifetime worth of work." Great tale from the crypt, one of my fave's.

[poolandrews · 8/10 · 15 March 2007]

Tales from the Crypt: Cutting Cards starts as high stakes gambler Reno Crevice (Lance Henriksen) rolls back into town after a year away in Las Vegas, he heads straight for one of his old haunts & meets an old adversary in fellow professional gambler Sam Forney (Kevin Tighe). After trading insults they decide to do what they do best, gamble for extremely high stakes, first on the agenda is Russian roulette & if that wasn't bad enough then comes 'chop' poker...

This Tales from the Crypt story was episode 3 from season 2, co-written & directed by one of the show's regular executive producers Walter Hill I thought Cutting Cards was a brilliant tale of of two egos. Tales from the Crypt used to play over here in the UK back in the 90's & that's where I originally saw loads of them, I can clearly remember certain episodes & in particular certain scenes with Cutting Cards one of the stories I've always remembered & having seen it again after all these years it's as good as I remembered it, if not better. The script by Hill & Mae Wood was based on a story from the 'Tales from the Crypt' comic book & moves along at a nice pace, it doesn't take itself too seriously, it has two great central character's that really carry the story & it has an absolutely terrific twisted twist ending that I thought was brilliant & rounded the episode off perfectly. I think this is a cracking tale from the crypt & one of my absolute favourites of the ones I've seen & the closing scene featuring the Crypt Keeper (John Kassir) has him frying severed fingers as he serves up the usual puns, yummy!

This looks great & has the production values of a decent budget film, it certainly doesn't look like a cheap made-for-TV show. So far this is the best episode from season 2, although I'm only three stories into it, but for some reason it seems to be a good four or five minutes shorter at only 20 odd minutes in length for reasons I don't know. This has some cool finger severing scenes in it using a meat clever which look very painful, ouch! The acting is good with the fantastic Hendriksen stealing the show as the cowboy gambler & he's worth watching this episode for alone, for some strange reason Roy Brocksmith has a small role as a bartender but he was in the last story The Switch so it seemed a strange decision to recast him so quickly, but it doesn't really matter that much.

Cutting Cards is a clever title for a great episode, it's well worth watching & is a cool darkly comic piece of morbid twisted entertainment that will only take 20 minutes of your life to watch, what can I say other than do it!

"Why don't you just give it up!?"

[Foreverisacastironmess123 · 9/10 · 30 December 2013]

Chop, poker... Evocative, isn't it? That's definitely what the fans remember the most about this twisted little classic. Me, I find the Russian-roulette sequence to be much more hair-raising. Even though I know what happens, every time it gets to the click of the pistol it's like whoa! Shudder... I love the horror stuff that just grabs you like that! This is a really great and tense, yet somehow almost downright comical tale, I think it brilliantly utilises the themes of gambling and luck of the draw in a macabre way, and it makes for a very gripping and distinctively-toned story. It's always intriguing to see people wager for more than just money, and the betting lines are packed in one after another, as the situation gets more crazy and unreal. This is a rival story of two big time hardcore gamblers who have an all-encompassing, and soon to be most excruciating, hatred for one another. We never really know why, but that's not important, all that does matter is that they f****n' *loathe* each other, so they decide the only way to settle the score once and for all is to play a series of deadly games of chance, to determine who's more stubborn than the other, and who's got more guts... It's completely loony toons - Lance Henrikson vs Kevin Tighe:insane grudge match of the millennium!!! Ya just gotta love the hard expressions they keep throwing across the table, and the main highlight and all the fun is just seeing them match wills and push themselves into ever-escalating acts of reckless self-risk and bodily dismemberment. They hate each other so much that neither is willing to quit, no matter how much it hurts or whatever the stakes. They both have zero sympathy or rationality, you can see it in their faces how much they love it when their 'lucky' turn comes around! And at the end in the final scene that near pitch-perfectly closes the episode it's revealed that they took things pretty damn far indeed! I think if they had picked two actors that were wrong for the parts or just didn't have the right kind of chemistry that the story called for, then it all might have been one big misfire. Nothing's really taken too seriously, the 50's-esc music in the background is very lighthearted, even though it's a very dark, visceral macabre style of humour. It's both ghoulishly funny and slightly disturbing. And to me the horror of the tale which is admittedly a very light horror, comes from simply how far they're willing to go - and the chopping! This is actually the shortest episode in the entire series, with hardly any plot to speak of at all, but it really couldn't matter less, as this is possibly one of the most compact and well made episodes, with a good, fast and straight to the point story, good actors, good sharp direction, good playful score, good grim humour and good gore. Yeeowch!!! An excellent Tale From the Crypt all around, I'll see ya!

Excellent episode

[Woodyanders · 9/10 · 6 February 2011]

Flashy and cocky cowboy Reno Crevice (a strong performance by the always great Lance Henriksen) and his slick and more low-key, but equally assured rival Sam Forney (superbly played by Kevin Tighe) are two ace gamblers who are constantly trying to best each other. The pair first get involved in a harrowing game of Russian roulette that soon escalates into a high stakes match of chop poker in which the loser has to have one finger cut off for every hand he doesn't win. Director Walter Hill, who also co-wrote the taut and absorbing script with Mae Woods, adroitly mines a devilishly amusing line in spot-on twisted black humor, delivers a sturdy central message about the brutal and ridiculous lengths macho competitive males will go to in order to assert their superior status over someone, and builds a considerable amount of sweat-inducing tension (the Russian roulette sequence is positively harrowing). Henriksen and Tighe are both in terrific form as a couple of arrogant high rollers who just don't know when to quit. Familiar character actor Roy Brocksmith has a nice bit as a friendly bartender. John R. Leonetti's sharp cinematography gives the show a cool glossy look. James Horner's dynamic jazzy score likewise hits the spot. The final closing image is simply priceless. One of the definite highlights of the second season.

Pass the Gum

[mattressman_pdl · 10/10 · 6 November 2007]

As an enormous fan of the show, it was hard to pick a favorite. So I'll say it's a tie between this and Television Terror.

Gamblers Reno (Lance Henriksen) and Sam (Kevin Tighe) have been at each other's throats for years until, one fateful night, they decide to settle things for good.

The episode is extremely well acted by both Tighe and Henriksen, and its the acting that keeps you glued to your seat until the humorous, if a little contrived, ending.

Cringe worthy scenes include an ill-fated game of Russian Roulette and several digits being chopped off as the gamblers are reduced to playing chop poker. 10 out of 10 may seem a bit much, but I have a peculiar fondness for this episode and it definitely holds up well on repeat viewings.

Maybe my favorite.

[shellytwade · 10/10 · 29 March 2022]

This is a rather short episode and pretty simple on concept but still I would say this is one of my favorite episodes of the show ever. I think it's because of it's simplicity that makes it so effective. No fluff at all. Walter Hill may have been the best director this show ever had.

"I told you, I'm a lucky kinda guy!"

[crazedchickens · 7/10 · 12 February 2007]

Two old card Sharks go after each other one last time. And the results are... Mediocre.

This episode isn't the worst of the worst, but I was expecting a lot more. It had a good setup, great characters, and good scenery/lighting effects.

Roy Brocksmith is here again, as the bartender. That man could say only a few words and still be great.

Two card sharks, one a redneck cowboy, other a high class LA kinda guy, go at it for one last time to settle each of their scores.

But what unravels is... expected.

Ending aside, give this episode a watch, then don't bother watching it again.

7/10

Compulsive Gambling

[hellraiser7 · 10/10 · 18 November 2017]

Warning do not read unless seen episode.

This is another of my favorite episodes for the show. This one is a different one as this is more on the black comedy side but that's a good thing and that's part of what the EC comic stories are.

I really like the back and forth between both character. Lance Hendrickson is great as usual, it's supprising seeing that he can actually be funny; but then again there are a lot of other serious actors I've known that have taken on comedy roles also; I like that to me it's a breath of fresh air from the usual norm I'd see them in.

These two you sense could of been friends but the problem is both are just compulsive gamblers and are too rapped up in their own egos, like any alchololic just don't know when to say when. This is suspenseful and funny from beginning to end, from that Russian roulette scene when we see both of them trying to evade death while the other blows their brains out. It is just absolute crazy how far both of them take their gambling, and of course it's gets crazier when we see the dreaded Chop Poker game which was suspenseful and really painful to watch; I still wince every time I see a finger getting chopped off. It goes to show the insane and ridiculous nature of Gambling, despite what we win or lose we can't seem to stop.

The next time your gambling, be sure of what you betting with.

Rating: 4 stars

Good episode ruined by the ending

[bellino-angelo2014 · 7/10 · 13 June 2021]

Reno Crevice (Lance Henriksen) is a compulsive gambler that has quite a reputation in his town. One night he is visited by his old rival Sam Forney and they reignite their feud. So they come to a deal: face off in a series of incredibly gruesome gambling games where who loses has to leave the town.

I was liking the episode through the first part and was even scoring it a 9. But I thought that as they arrived to chopping limbs, I was a bit turned off. To top this, the ending made me feel like it was incomplete as they are both in a mental institution without their limbs and moving the checkers with their chins. It was also quite scary despite Henriksen gives as usual a good performance.

Cutting Cards

[a_baron · 9/10 · 29 November 2014]

There is nothing supernatural about this episode, although it might just convince you of the wisdom of backing down on occasion, especially when the issues involved are relatively trivial.

This is the sad tale of two gamblers, one of whom has a distinct resemblance to Amarillo Slim Preston, who deliberately cultivated a dumb Texan table image. The sad fact is both these are dumb and then some. This town ain't big enough for both of us - so one of them will have to leave permanently. They start by playing Russian roulette. Aren't you supposed to spin the chamber after every click? Apparently not. And would anyone really point the gun to his head and pull the trigger after five clicks? Okay, so the bullet was a dud, maybe it did indeed get damp after a couple of years in the chamber, as the man said. So next they decide to settle their differences with a game of draw poker. Great camera-work. Gory but great. Do you really want to know what comes next?

The final scene shows just how ludicrous their insane duel was. Perhaps politicians and other power brokers should be made to watch this; it might just teach them that often suffering on a colossal scale can be averted with diplomacy, or simply a little common sense.

Mainly saved by great performances

[SleepTight666 · 6/10 · 27 June 2009]

Hmm, a bit of a so-so episode mainly saved by great performances and tensed scenes of finger-hacking and Russian roulette.

But really, it didn't offer all that much besides that. And it felt like it was cut short, which is kind of poetic. The episode feels like it ends halfway, but it shows how far some people go just to beat the other.

I can see why it is a popular episode, it is quite clever. But in terms of enjoyment, It would rank as my least favorite to date. Just slightly below 'Only Sin Deep'. I wish that it would have shown at least one of them win, or go until they both would have died. It feels a little pointless at the end.

Perfect!

[BandSAboutMovies · 7/10 · 1 December 2023]

"Cutting Cards!" is from Tales From the Crypt #32 and was written by Al Feldstein and William Gaines and drawn by Fred Peters.

Directed by Walter Hill, this episode is exactly the episode I love from this show.

Reno (Lance Henriksen) and Sam (Kevin Tighe) are a pair of hardcore gamblers who don't play for fun. They literally put their bodies on the line to try and destroy each other at a variety of games, ending up in a hospital barely alive and still trying to win.

It's simple but sometimes simple is what you want.

Roy Brocksmith, who was also in the last episode, plays a bartender. He was in three episodes of the show.

Seriously, this episode is so good that when another is bad, it actually upsets me. This is the promise that this show had. Two actors going all out, just like their characters, trying to kill it no matter what it takes.

Weak Episode

[claudio_carvalho · 5/10 · 15 December 2013]

Reno Crevice (Lance Henriksen) returns to a casino to challenge his rival Sam Forney (Kevin Tighe) to a deadly game. First Reno and Sam play Russian Roulette without winner and then they play cards, where the loser has one of his finger chopped. Who will win the game?

"Cutting Cards" is a weak and bleak episode of "Tales from the Crypt". Directed by the cult director Walter Hill, the story is deceptive and pointless. Lance Henriksen and Kevin Tighe has great performances in the roles of Reno and Sam but their rivalry has a black humor that never works. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Cutting Cards"

A gruesome game of cards

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 12 November 2016]

While lacking the finesse and atmosphere of the Amicus anthologies of the '70s, which were based on the same source material, the EC comics of the 1950s, the TALES FROM THE CRYPT series passes the time amiably enough, adding some gore into the otherwise light proceedings to help things move along. Fortunately the episodes carried on the tradition of adding a neat twist to the tale at the end of the stories, which is prominent in the episodes on this compilation tape I viewed.

The episode CUTTING CARDS is a raucous black comedy where two ageing gamblers battle it out for supremacy in a series of life or death games. This tale benefits from some well-done suspense scenes (the Russian Roulette game is really nail-biting) and some preposterous broad comedy. The finger cutting scene is also very hard to watch, although you can't help but laugh. Lance Henricksen is given a chance to go over the top, and he relishes it. Kevin Tighe is also good value as a sweaty, gloating, mean opponent.

Pretty weak episode with crazy ideas.

[blanbrn · 3/10 · 20 April 2007]

Really this has to be one of the worst "Tales from the Crypt" episodes, for some reason or another it just didn't hold my interest. I guess probably because I've never really been a big gambler or poker player and this episode is themed around that topic. Anyway you Lance Henriksen and Kevin Tighe as two old style poker and gambling players who will duke it out to the end, one a cowboy the other a suit and tie business man. Both meet in Vegas, to settle the score only to start one by one crazy games of gun pointing to the head, then it's slice and dice'em . This episode goes so crazy with both cutting off one's finger by finger, only to end with both in a mental institution. Really a crazy but to me a dull high stakes poker game that took things a bit to far. Really a poor episode that doesn't have a surprise twist involved or any real star power to help it.