Plot
Lit professor and gambler Jim Bennett's debt causes him to borrow money from his mother and a loan shark. Further complicating his situation is his relationship with one of his students. Will Bennett risk his life for a second chance?
Release Year: 2014
Rating: 6.6/10 (573 voted)
Critic's Score: 57/100
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Jessica Lange, John Goodman
Storyline
Jim Bennett is a risk taker. Both an English professor and a high-stakes gambler, Bennett bets it all when he borrows from a gangster and offers his own life as collateral. Always one step ahead, Bennett pits his creditor against the operator of a gambling ring and leaves his dysfunctional relationship with his wealthy mother in his wake. He plays both sides, immersing himself in an illicit, underground world while garnering the attention of Frank, a loan shark with a paternal interest in Bennett's future. As his relationship with a student deepens, Bennett must take the ultimate risk for a second chance...
Writers: William Monahan, James Toback
Cast: Mark Wahlberg -
Jim Bennett
George Kennedy -
Ed
Griffin Cleveland -
Young Jim
Jessica Lange -
Roberta
Omar Leyva -
Valet
Steve Park -
Number 2
Brie Larson -
Amy Phillips
Chil Kong -
Blackjack Dealer #1
Michael Kenneth Williams -
Neville Baraka
Da'Vone McDonald -
Neville's Muscle
Amin Joseph -
Neville's Bookkeeper
Cjon Saulsberry -
Neville's Posse
Teebone Mitchell -
Neville's Posse
Jasmond Carroll -
Neville's Posse
Ria Wilkinson -
Neville's Posse
Trivia:
Mark Wahlberg was determined to nail the role of a literature professor, so much so that he sat in on many college courses around different colleges in California and analyzed many professors and their mannerisms so that he could achieve the most believable performance. See more »
Quotes:
User Review
Author:
Rating: 7/10
The Gambler tells the story of Jim Bennett, a college professor with a
dangerous and self destructive addiction to gambling at underground
casinos in the underbelly of Los Angeles. His addiction soon begins to
effect his professional and personal life to severe and deadly
consequences. The Gambler features great performances from Mark
Wahlberg and Jessica Lange along with flashy and stylish direction from
Rupert Wyatt. Much like the 1974 original, The Gambler is very much so
a character study. We see Wahlberg's Jim Bennett in every scene, and
see him make every bet, lose every hand and blow every dollar without
shying away from Wahlberg. This is a new, transformed and extremely
mature performance from Mark Wahlberg. He is in top form here,
delivering a career best performance along with the physicality of a
twig. It is certainly a better portrayal of a teacher than what we see
in 2008's horrendous misfire The Happening. When we see Wahlberg in The
Gambler he loses himself in long monologues that never once will make
you question his validity in this part. The supporting cast features
Brie Larson, Jessica Lange and John Goodman. Each give amazing
performances, especially Goodman who steals some scenes from Wahlberg
with colorful monologues filled with expletives and subtext that is
classic William Monohan but it does grow tiring after awhile. The
screenplay written by Oscar winner William Monohan is far from a
perfect script but it is very interesting and keeps your attention. It
doesn't pack the punch The Departed did, but it gets the job done.
Rupert Wyatt proves that not only can he do a big budget action
spectacle as Rise of the Planet of the Apes but he can also deliver
hard hitting drama. My only issue was that Martin Scorsese is such a
huge influence here in filmmaking style that you start to wonder what
it would be like if Wyatt just stuck to his own style instead of trying
to capture something that is clearly above his talent because it does
backfire on multiple occasions especially during its Hollywood-fueled
finale. For a film as dark as The Gambler, the ending just simply
doesn't fit and feels more like a studio ending rather than something
that would be true to the film and true to the original vibe of it all.
Overall, The Gambler is a fitting remake that fails to capture the
essence of the original but displays Mark Wahlberg in a career changing
performance that shouldn't be missed.
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