If you were putting money on Mark Wahlberg’s latest offering The Gambler, I’d strongly suggest hedging your bets.
A remake of the 1974 film starring James Caan, I found the film hard going in places.
Mark Wahlberg plays Jim Bennett, a literature professor with a severe gambling addiction.
He ends up owing $260,000 to Lee (Alvin Ing), the proprietor of an underground gambling ring, and another $50,000 to Neville Baraka (Michael K. Williams), a loan shark. Lee gives Bennett seven days to pay off his debts or be murdered.
Bennett considers borrowing money from Frank (John Goodman), another loan shark, to buy himself some time, but instead convinces his wealthy mother Roberta (brilliantly portrayed by Jessica Lange) to give him enough money to pay off his debts.
However during a night out with student and love interest Amy (played by the sorely underused Brie Larson) he gambles it all away.
Knowing time is running out, Bennett comes up with a plan to finally get himself out of the gambling trap altogether…
What the film does particularly well is show that gambling is a weakness, an illness and an addiction and how a person can lose everything by getting in too deep.
However Wahlberg lost my attention during several long-winded speeches and I found myself wondering how long I had to wait for the film to wind up.
I couldn’t warm to his character and if I’m honest didn’t really care whether he lived or died.
A decent ending and one or two well played out casino scenes just about managed to save the film for me.
Voice verdict:6/10
Watched at West End Cinema, Boston
