The Gambler Review
- Director: Rupert Wyatt
- Starring: Mark Wahlberg, John Goodman, Brie Larson, Jessica Lange, Michael K. Williams
- Released: December 25, 2014
- Rated: R
- Runtime: 111 min
The Verdict
- John Goodman is the standout as a no-nonsense, villain-like lender. Mark Wahlberg brings some funny one-liners and intelligence to the role.
- There’s no real threat, and Jim faces little lasting consequence. His big turnaround happens way too fast to believe.
Synopsis
Full Review (Spoilers)
The Gambler gives you a very small glimpse of the life of a person with a gambling addiction. Jim Bennett lives two lives, by day a teacher and by night a notorious gambler. If you love movies about poker then this will appeal to you greatly. John Goodman bring an interesting twist as a villain-like character. This movie is filled with some exciting moments and will leave you feeling ok with spending money to see it.
Check out down below for a spoiler review on The Gambler. You’ve been warned.
The Good
- John Goodman plays a decent villain-like character. He knows the kind of person he’s dealing with when he’s talking to Mark Wahlberg’s character. He doesn’t play around and he means business. Compared to the other villain-like characters in this movie he is the best.
- Mark Wahlberg’s portrayal of Jim Bennett was semi-passable. He had a lot of funny one liners and brought a decent intelligence to the role.
The Bad
This movie lacked a “big bad guy” and you can tell it from the beginning. No one really served as a danger for Jim. He did whatever he wanted and had fairly small consequences. This showed up when he lost in gambling, when he got caught by the loan sharks and when he spoke with his supervisor.
One of my pet peeves about a movie is poor transitioning. Jim goes from a big gambler to gambling free in the span of one day. You cannot be cured just like that and it made for a very sloppy fix in the movie.
“Bad guys” aka loan sharks allowing one of their delinquent accounts get more money from them. No one in their right mind would lend someone more money after hearing the person couldn’t pay. You normally have them pay off parts of their account then maybe think about lending them more money. It became laughable to see the different people allowing Jim to fool them.
The Gambler (2014) Cast and Details
The Gambler (2014) is directed by Rupert Wyatt and stars Mark Wahlberg, John Goodman, Brie Larson, Jessica Lange and Michael K. Williams. It runs 111 minutes and is rated R. You can look up the full cast and crew on IMDb. You might also like my Annie review.
DC's Hypothetical Corner
Let’s say I change one thing. Maybe that one thing will make this movie better or more watchable.
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