I don’t know many people who have seen the 2001 dramatic thriller Finder’s Fee. If you are not one of those people, then I’m happy to introduce you to this fantastic little indie film. The movie centers around a man who finds a wallet on the street containing a winning lottery ticket worth $6 million. This is the start of what turns out to be a crazy and super heavy and complicated problem.
The film was directed by Jeff Probst, and it features an impressive ensemble cast that includes the likes of Ryan Reynolds, Mathew Lillard, James Earl Jones, Erik Palladino, and Dash Mihok. This cast alone should be enough for you to want to watch the movie, and I have to say that they all deliver incredible performances.
The story follows a guy named Tepper (Palladino), who, like I already mentioned, discovers a wallet on the street. After Tepper contacts the wallet’s owner, Avery Phillips (Jones), he realizes that it has a winning lottery ticket inside worth millions. Tepper’s moral dilemma gets more complicated when his poker-playing crew, including Quigley (Reynolds) and Fishman (Lillard), arrive for their regular game. The big twist is… that poker game involves betting with lottery tickets. That’s the hook, and things end up spiraling out of control.
The majority of the film takes place in an apartment, and it’s the dialogue, acting, and story that brilliantly drive this edge of your seat story forward. Probst had only 17 days to shoot the film because he had to return to his commitment as host of Survivor. He developed the script in a writing workshop, and Stephen Baldwin liked the script so much that he used his connections to help Probst get the film made.
This is just one of those little indie movie gems that’s worth watching in case you’ve never seen it before. It’s also worth revisiting if you have! You can watch the trailer for the film below.