The Gambler

By: Robert Murphy 

Putting it all on the line and gambling away my hard earned cash has never been an idea that never really appealed to me, the odds never looked favorable to me so I've stayed clear of gambling. Jim Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) doesn't seem to share this fear though and after a touching goodbye from his grandfather in the opening scenes for The Gambler, he runs off to try his luck with a fresh ten grand in his pocket. It seems for him, the thrill of betting it all appeals to him more than the average gambler out there but with debts to every loan guy around, you would think he'd take the money and run. This isn't the case though as Jim will dig himself further and further into debt and his own grave if he doesn't turn things around. The cocky smile that is constantly strewn across Mr.Bennett's face for the entirety of the movie makes me think that there is much more going on then there actually is. 

It would turn out that Mark Wahlberg's cocky demeanor for the entire movie would prove to be the downfall of his character as a whole. You would expect a man who has powerful people threatening to kill him at every turn and even laying out some plastic sheets like a scene right out of Dexter to be the tiniest bit frightened for his life but Jim never really seems to care. You could say that he has a death wish but that's not really the case, even though he spots off to his would be killers, powerful and intimidating Frank (John Goodman), gangster turned loan sharking/entrepreneur Neville Baraka (Michael Kenneth Williams) and Mister Lee (Alvin Ing). This isn't the case though because about halfway through The Gambler you learn what Jim is all about and that is the fact that beating the odds and creating that magical black jack hit come real is as close to something real that he has ever felt. In fact, his powerful speech to his would be girlfriend, Amy (Brie Larson), was probably the one moment I enjoyed his character because it's the only part that actually felt real to me. The rest of the time his character, as I said, runs around pushing everyone's buttons like a little kid in a grocery store. He never seems to be in any real danger throughout the whole shabang and with a drama about being indebted to powerful people and fighting for your life, shouldn't you feel something close to an adrenaline rush while watching?  

Scenes that did get my blood pumping were the moments spent away from Bennett's lack of concern for his own well being and others around him. The trio of loan sharking big wigs I mentioned before were particularly some of the best. Michael Williams playing the guy who wants to get out of this life of beating people senseless and illegal activity does a great job and changing Bennett's attitude at every turn. He is responsible for the Dexter scene I mention earlier. Alvin Ing also plays the role of the elderly underground casino boss that has been around the block more than a dozen times and is someone you won't want to disappoint when a loan payment comes knocking, his icy stare and overtones making you think just that. John Goodman was particularly enjoyable, his first meeting with Jim would leave any man demoralized at the terms he sets out for his loan and pretty much says what we're all thinking about Jim as a character, he's scum. Later on, Goodman's go fuck yourself speech left me in stitches, it was like listening to the speech from Team America World Police as it turns the f-word into a work of art. All three do a great job and also put Wahlberg's character to shame as they pretty much upstage his performance whenever he is on screen with one of them. 

Near the end of The Gambler, you will see Bennett's plan finally start to take shape a little bit at a time. The whole thing revolves around him borrowing money from each of the bosses one more time and betting it all big time and start clean. This, of course, doesn't get your blood pumping any more than watching him widdle away whatever money comes his way. Even the 240,000 dollars he receives from his mother, Roberta (Jessica Lange), an event which frankly made me wanna tear my hair out and punch the guy in the face but Lange practically does that for me and you. Bennett though is able to get his big pay out and be set free from all of his debts, a momentous occasion that causes him to run out into the night and reenacting a scene from Rocky as he trained for the fight. Why he didn't just pay off his debts with the money from his mother I'll never know, maybe he wanted one last "fooled you all" moment but if that's the case it wasn't presented very well. 

In the end, The Gambler is a rather poor effort at a drama, there literally is NONE to begin with anyways. Bennett spends most of the film running around town not giving a damn about what's happening around him, the fact that he is a liberal arts teacher at a college making it all worse as he spots out philosophical gibberish to the viewers and his class. Supporting characters such as John Goodman, Jessica Lange and Michael Kenneth Williams steal the show with their performances but you need more than what you get from them to save a movie like this. 

Good:

- Goodman, Lange and the other supporting actors 

- Some funny dialogue, John Goodman's speech in particular

Bad:

- Mark Wahlberg's Bennett is cocky and does not make you feel any sense of danger or intrigue for his situation

- The lack of any sort of drama for the situations is very apparent 

- The played out literary teacher angle

Scully Rating: 3.0 out of 10