THE GAMBLER directed by Rupert Wyatt, written by William Monahan from the screenplay by James Toback, with Mark Wahlberg, Brie Larson, Michael Kenneth Williams and John Goodman. A Paramount Pictures release. 112 minutes. Opens December 25. Rating: NNN
Rupert Wyatt’s The Gambler is a decent reworking of Karel Reisz’s 1974 thriller about a literature professor whose gambling addiction threatens to consume his life – assuming you can buy Mark Wahlberg instead of James Caan in the lead.
Yeah, about Wahlberg. Casting Marky Mark as a prof is kind of ridiculous, but he’s perfect for the other half of the role, his blankness going a long way to sell the idea that his character’s all-in compulsion is rooted in a death wish he himself doesn’t fully understand. You can’t help but look closer, trying to see what drives the guy.
Wyatt’s showy direction gets in the way of the story more often than it should (does every song on the soundtrack really need to comment directly on the action?), but Wahlberg and a solid supporting cast – including Brie Larson, John Goodman, Jessica Lange and the fantastic Michael Kenneth Williams – will keep you invested in the outcome.
