Today’s quick review: The Gambler. Jim Bennett (Mark Wahlberg), a literature professor with a gambling problem, owes $240,000 to the wrong sort of people. With only one week left to pay up, Jim turns to Frank (John Goodman), a ruthless loan shark, for help. But paying off his debt turns out not to be so simple. As Jim runs out of time and out of options, he’s forced to take greater risks to get the money before those closest to him pay the price.
The Gambler is a drama about gambling and the pursuit of self-destruction. Mark Wahlberg stars as Jim Bennett, a bright professor who’s dissatisfied with his mediocre life. Determined to hit rock bottom if he can’t win big, Jim squanders his wealth on risky bets and passes up chances to quit while he’s ahead. As his situation grows more complicated and more desperate, the question becomes not whether he can pay off his debt but whether he wants to.
The Gambler’s themes make for an unusual story. Jim’s behavior has more to do with his self-destructive tendencies than a gambling addiction. His efforts to get out of debt are colored by this fact, and he passes up at least one easy way out because he’s psychologically incapable of taking it. The result is a protagonist who’s drawn along literary lines rather than human ones. Jim is an interesting subject, but he’s not particularly sympathetic.
That one fact skews the rest of the film. The plot has a few clever turnabouts, but Jim’s personality throws off the emotional arc. The romance, a liaison between Jim and his most talented student (Brie Larson), works well enough, but it has the same oddness to it. The Gambler’s biggest draw ends up being its writing. The script delves into fascinating psychological territory, although its individual scenes work better than the story as a whole.
Watch The Gambler if you’re interested in a rumination on success and self-destruction. Solid acting and interesting themes are enough to give the movie some appeal, but its plot lacks the focus of the usual drama about gambling debts. For a serious gambling drama with a better story, try The Hustler. For a more heartfelt drama about squandered talent, try Good Will Hunting. For a more laid-back gambling story, try Mississippi Grind.
6.0 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.0 to 6.5 for an interesting angle for a protagonist with mixed execution.