Yet another technically masterful film from director Edward Berger (Conclave, All Quiet on the Western Front), the gambling thriller Ballad of a Small Player purports to be stylish and exciting. It’s certainly fun to watch, but it will leave viewers thinking, “To what end?” as an impressive-looking facade covering a largely insubstantial script.
What is Ballad of a Small Player about?
Ballad of a Small Player is based on the novel of the same name by Lawrence Osborne, following a gambler whose life begins to fall apart after his creditors come knocking for him to repay his debts and his past starts to catch up to him. What follows is a 100-minute, anxiety-filled yet somewhat vapid trip into the world of gambling.
Ballad of a Small Player Review
One of the most impressive accomplishments of Berger’s movie is that it makes one of the most boring casino games in existence feel exciting. Baccarat is a notoriously dull game for anyone but beginners because it requires no strategy, yet Berger’s style makes it feel like something much greater than it actually is. There are plenty of gambling films about games like poker, blackjack, and poker because they naturally lend themselves to cinematic storytelling, but the fact that Ballad of a Small Player
As has been the case with Berger’s recent output, Ballad of a Small Player is one of the most dazzling films of the year on a technical level. James Friend’s cinematography does a great job of capturing both the glitz of Macau and the sweaty anxiety of its protagonist, while Volker Bertelmann’s score is as stressful and propulsive as any he has made up to this point.
However, in this way, Ballad of a Small Player falls victim to the same issue that held Berger’s version of All Quiet on the Western Front back. Although the intention is certainly not to glamorize gambling, in presenting it in such a visually flashy and adrenaline-fueled way, it makes it feel strangely thrilling. It feels like the wrong approach to take to this story and its themes.
By the end, Ballad of a Small Player fails to explore its themes in a provocative or original way. It’s little more than an exploration of how the protagonist’s desperation causes pain to himself and those around him. Where the movie has the potential to say something interesting — its commentary on addiction — it only takes a couple of scenes to discuss.
Colin Farrell continues to prove that he is one of the best actors working today with a performance that feels like it could not have been replaced by anyone else. Farrell imbues the character with the perfect amount of time to keep him sympathetic and not entirely dismissible. It’s full of big emotion, with very few scenes that require nuance, but it’s the type of role that’s incredibly fun to watch Farrell chew up.
The supporting cast is fine, albeit incredibly underused. In her supporting role, Tilda Swinton gets one or two fun scenes, but it essentially feels like a less interesting version of what she did in David Fincher’s The Killer a few years back. The talented Fala Chen also shows glimpses of greatness here and there, but is held back by a role that feels like it is completely chained to the male protagonist’s arc.
Is Ballad of a Small Player worth watching?
Ballad of a Small Player is a thrilling, beautifully shot film with a great lead performance from Colin Farrell. However, the same excitement and elegance that makes Edward Berger’s latest movie so impressive also undermines its effectiveness, resulting in a final product that’s almost antithetical to the point it is trying to convey.
Ballad of a Small Player opens in theaters on October 15 and streams on Netflix beginning October 29.
