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| Title: | The Gambler |
| Director: | Rupert Wyatt |
| Writer: | William Monahan |
| Starring: | Mark Wahlberg, John Goodman, Brie Larson, Jessica Lange |
| Genre: | Drama/Thriller |
| Runtime: | 1 Hours 59 mins |
| Music: | Jon Brion, Theo Green |
| Studio: | Paramount Pictures |
| Certificate: | US: R UK: 15 |
| Release Date: | US: December 25 2014 UK: January 23 2015 |
| See If You Like: | The Departed, Drive. |
Mark Wahlberg (The Fighter) returns to the big screen with his first starring role since last year’s Transformers: Age of Extinction in, a Rupert Wyatt (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) movie scripted by William Monahan (The Departed), The Gambler; but does The Gambler have the ability to pull out a Royal Flush, or will it go bust?
Playing the titular gambler Jim Bennett, we catch Wahlberg at the beginning of a seemingly regular night of flittering away his money on the blackjack tables, when he dips into the house fund too far; blows all of his cash, his house tab, and even the slate he’s just borrowed from a clear-cut gangster he’s only just met; and ends up deeply in debt in two different loan sharks who’d have no qualms about killing him unless they see a return on their investments.
Yet the seemingly respectable Jim doesn’t seem flustered by his state of affairs; the apparently well-to-do novelist-turned-professor hails from a wealthy family, has a respectable job, nice car, and shows no signs of panic or remorse; believing his best bet, is probably to try and gamble his way out of his problems. Something which obviously has clear consequences.
As a central character Jim is fairly compelling; the clever, young, handsome, wealthy guy who has it all, except his happiness, and disappears down a self-destructive path simply for the hell of it. He’s a character which we can all relate to in some level, and one which is played excellently by Wahlberg; appearing as his usual fast-talking self, yet bringing a likability to a character who could’ve easily become tiresome, irksome, irritating, and frustrating; as he not only makes a number of horrendous decisions throughout the film, but constantly acts as if he’s above everyone else (the loan sharks he meets, his students, and even his mother), and somehow seems to fit within the starkly opposing worlds of the university lecturer, and the underworld of inhabited by the money-lenders and compulsive gamblers.
While the majority of the supporting stars aren’t exactly outstanding it’s good to see Michael Kenneth Williams (The Wire star recently seen in the RoboCop remake) continuing to appear on the big screen (even if it is as a generic gangster), and Brie Larson (21 Jump Street) expanding her CV. Jessica Lange (American Horror Story) however does put in a very impressive turn as Jim’s stalwart mother, as the always welcome John Goodman (Flight) gives a fantastically presence filled, and largely understated, performance as the apparent local kingpin; oozing power and gravitas with his solemn monologues, clear-cut delivery, and undeniably strength.
Plot-wise The Gambler is also interesting, as it’s not a gangster movie, it’s not a comedy where a teacher gets in debt and has a week to suddenly wind up with $250k, and it’s nothing to do with a long-con or getting that illustrious “one big score”, it’s more of a drama/thriller than anything, and one which remains gripping as you’re never sure exactly where it’ll go; as we watch Jim dive deeper into debt, and struggle to pull himself out even when there’s an easy off-ramp.
It’s also neither a glorification, nor condemnation, of the gambling lifestyle, and those who suffer from addictions; The Gambler simply attempts to show the audience a slant on the world “as is”, and becomes a rather interesting examination of the human condition in that respect; even if it does get a little too clever for itself, with the way in which Bennett continually talks down to his students, using overly complicated language to simply reaffirm his view there’s basically no joy and/or purpose in life.
The soundtrack is great (the sound design itself actually works well, delivering many of the tracks in a clearly diegetic manner), Rupert Wyatt’s direction is solid (there are times when you think The Gambler could’ve almost been a Michael Mann movie), and it’s littered with symbolism, so there’s plenty to look out for and enjoy here, as The Gambler builds to a clear crescendo, in a well-crafted finale which delivers the payoff you’d expect, and hope for.
So with a solid script, decent direction, a well cast lead and a couple of supporting stars who’re not only well-placed but also bring their own presence to the film, there’s little to grumble about with The Gambler. Sadly, it’s likely to get lost amongst the crop of awards movies currently screening across the country, and probably won’t be all that memorable in the next couple of years, but it’s a good watch, it’s something different, and a solid piece of worthwhile cinema. It may not have come up aces, but for the price of a cinema ticket, The Gambler is well worth a bet.
Matt Wheeldon – @TheMattWheeldon.
