Search - The Gambler [Blu-ray] on Blu-ray

Bob N. from CORINNE, UT
Reviewed on 8/15/2015...

At the center of the film is Mark Wahlberg’s character, who is the ‘Houdini’ (as one calls him) of gambling. He pulls things out of thin air and manages to win just about every time. But, the catch is, he doesn’t know when to stop. Hence the title. It’s a man’s struggle with debt, loved-ones, and his own reason for living. By day he’s a philosophizing English professor and by night a ferocious gambler. All of this is a distraction to him. To what, is fair-game to the audience.

It’s slick filmmaking above all, but it’s even more than that, with an assured style that usually comes with an experienced director. However, I’m thinking it’s more to the writer’s credit in this case (who also brilliantly wrote “The Departed”). The most entertaining moments consist of the back-and-forth between Wahlberg and John Goodman’s character, who plays one of the many gangsters our protagonist’s involved with. What surprised me - and pleased me - about the whole experience was its hesitance to include an abundance of action. It could have easily been that kind-of mindless, chase scene-driven film that I’ve slowly grown to hate. But, it’s more of a slow-burn. It doesn’t reveal everything all at once and leaves a certain air of mystery for the audience to ponder over. Personally, I found it to be a breath of fresh air in the realm of studio movies being released today.

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