The Gambler
The Gambleris pretty much a misfire of concept - even if it makes the admirable move of going for a different thematic angle on the original material.
InThe Gamblerwe encounter Jim Bennet ( Mark Wahlberg ) , the son of a loaded family and a extremely intelligent lit prof / writer . When Jim finds out that his hereditary pattern will not be at all what he expected , he ship on a unsafe speculation in his secret life as a high - post gambler .
Before too long at his dangerous game , Jim find that he is in debt to several major gangsters . Worse than that , the people close to him ( his mother , a potential lover , a prominent student athlete ) are soon place as " collateral " for Jim ’s debt . But for Jim , being behind the eight ball is not a snake pit , but rather a state of grace . Jim not only accepts but desires his fate ; for him , existence boils down to one big secret plan of hazard , and it ’s best to be all - in .
A remaking of the 1974Gamblerfilm star James Caan , the 2014Gambleris a philosophical stage drama disguised as a Mark Wahlberg crime drama vehicle . The world of the film might be interesting for theater or literary buffs who dig the the film ’s style of heightened language and philosophic pontificating - but for the average spectator , it ’s going to be a rude realization of mislead advertising and ego - involved cerebral philology that are a hard and obtuse code to crack .
Directed byRise of the Planet of the Apeshelmer Rupert Wyatt , The Gamblerhas a firm ocular shorthand and trend to it that is in reality one of the dependable aspect of the film . As stated , the scaffolding of each fit is very theatrical ( Broadway , not manifold ) and as such , Wyatt produce firm mis - nut - scene setup that help entail more story and characterization through visual shorthand alone . The cinematography by Greig Fraser ( Foxcatcher , Zero Dark Thirty ) has a wash - out and blue vividness that reflects both the bare lows and alluring highs of a gambler ’s earthly concern .
At the same time , the narrative implication of the ocular composition will be lost on quite a few viewers - not because theycan’tsee it , but rather because they might not be looking for it . In a picture billed as an action - thriller , witness may not be endeavor to render what the positioning of the quality , organisation of a way , or the lighting therein suppose about a grapheme ’s interior narration or backstory . It ’s a film that is part music genre transportation ( at its honest when fork over thrilling scenes of mellow - stake play ) and part artwork - house fare ( dealing with existential crisis ) , and stranded in that confusing middle , it never measure of to the standard of its managing director ’s natural endowment .
That same issue either dribble down into , or originates from the script , which was written by Oscar - achiever William Monahan ( The Departed , Kingdom of Heaven , Edge of Darkness ) . Monahan ’s hand adapt the story of James Toback , whose existent play exploits first inspired the 1974 film ; only in this 2014 variant , the character drama is saddle with an attempt at nifty depth , with Monahan relying on drawn-out explanation and pontifications where the original film preferred action and significance to convey its deeper stem and thought .
Like with similar crime drama / literary artistic creation film mixes in late class ( The Counselor , Killing Them Softly),The Gambleris destine by an ' oil and piddle ' disparity that it can never stamp down .
Even if you have the spike to see the reckless dialogue , the actual aspect and subject matter of each conversation do n’t seem to run together in any meaningfully highly-developed or significant way . rather Things seem to meander from scene to scene , and the percentage point ( or impact ) of one conniption does n’t seem to transport over to the next . bad of all , the figure at the center of it all ( Jim ) is so distant and cold that it ’s concentrated to sympathize with his plight , or take off much emotion from what is being express ( told , not shown ) in the convoluted negotiation .
It does n’t help that Wahlberg seems grossly out of place in the central part . Granted , a tough guy like James Caan was pick for the original ( where he was also still a professor with a gambling problem ) . However , whenever Wahlberg has to lecture literature or wax philosophical , it instantly feels like a call - back to everything that made his carrying into action in M. Night Shyamalan’sThe Happeningthe can of a joke that continues to this day . Of of course , whenever Wahlberg is hollo on to crack impertinent or play rugged in boldness of menace , the actor tally the sweet daub of his trademark theatrical role .
Michael K Williams in ‘The Gambler’ (2014)
The patronize cast diminish into two camps : the gangsters in the film ( played byThe Wire ’s Michael K. Williams , John Goodman and Alvin Ing ) are all given a fate of elbow room to develop , and the three thespian in the part do a passably practiced job adding dimension to each mobster ( black , Jewish and Asiatic , severally ) to make each human being interesting and three - dimensional . That ’s actually a pretty important function in the narration , as their dealings with Jim ( and their continued allowances of his posture and behavior ) are a hinge on which the arc of the narrative rest . With three whole performances , the stakes remain high , and the payout out the closing is understandable ( if not impactful ) .
In the other camp are supporting quality that have little impact ( or much purpose ) in the story . distaff character do n’t seem to be Monahan ’s forte , because Brie Larson ’s ( 21 Jump Street ) get it on pastime character , and Jessica Lange ( American Horror Story ) as Jim ’s female parent feel more like plot of land devices with barely adumbrate personalities than actual fully - formed or relevant characters . Supporting male person characters such as two student athlete played by Emory Cohen ( Place Beyond the Pines ) and neophyte Anthony Kelley - or an hatchet man played byThe Wire ’s Dominick Lombardozzi - feel even more like gadget than characters , though give way their humble function in the story , that ’s a bite more understandable .
In the end , The Gambleris pretty much a dud of concept - even if it makes the admirable move of going for a unlike thematic slant on the original textile . This is not one that should busy your theater slate time or money during the holiday moviegoing boot ; it will be little Christmas miracle if - even in place viewing - you happen to lessen into the narrow mountain range of folks who will get hold this movie ’s rummy - duck approach to your liking .
Alvin Ing in ‘The Gamber’ (2014)
TRAILER
The Gambleris now playing in theaters . It is 111 minutes long and is tell on R for language throughout , and for some sexuality / nakedness .
The Gambler is a 2014 offense dramatic event star Mark Wahlberg . Wahlberg plays Jim Bennett , a prof who is addicted to gambling and is forced to borrow money from a loan shark . Things only get more complicated when he declare oneself his animation as collateral and becomes romantically involved with one of his bookman .
John Goodman and Dominick Lombardozzi in ‘The Gambler’ (2014)
Brie Larson in ‘The Gambler’ (2014)
