Colin Farrell brings all his charisma and charm to his latest film, “Ballad of a Small Player,” a confusing psychological drama that has so much going for it, starting with its fully engaged star. It is directed by Edward Berger who just won back-to-back Best Picture Oscar nominations for “All Quiet on the Western Front” and “Conclave.” These two names alone should be enough to pique the interest of any movie buff.
But Farrell’s strenuous efforts and Berger’s sumptuous visual talent fail to overcome the film’s biggest obstacle: its script. Adapting Lawrence Osborne’s 2014 novel of the same name, screenwriter Rowan Joffé takes on the daunting challenge of untangling the already knotty original material. The film starts well, setting the table nicely both narratively and visually. But problems arise alarmingly quickly as the film goes from intriguing to frustratingly convoluted.
Farrell plays Lord Doyle, a high-profile gambling addict who has traveled to Macau.the gaming capital of the world“We learn pretty quickly that Doyle is in trouble. For starters, he fled to Macau after swindling more than $900,000 from a wealthy elderly widow. But he put it all on the line through bad luck. To complicate matters, he ran up a debt of HK$352,000 to a posh Macau hotel and they gave him three days to pay or they call the police.
Doyle’s addict’s flawed logic tells him that the statistical odds are on his side and he will soon start winning. He is convinced that he has worked his way through this mess and can get out of it, with the right financial support of course. But he had trouble finding a casino that would give him credit. He finds hope in the enigmatic Dao Ming (Fala Chen), a casino hostess and loan banker who is in trouble herself. Doyle tries to persuade her to fund it, insisting that a big victory would solve both of their problems.
As if that wasn’t enough, hot on Doyle’s heels is Cynthia Blythe (Tilda Swinton), a pesky private detective who gives him 24 hours to collect the widow’s money or else she’ll have him deported to London. Cynthia adds an interesting layer, but the story is more about Doyle’s mysterious relationship with Dao Ming who disappears, suddenly reappears, and then disappears again. Both his presence and absence play a crucial role in understanding Doyle’s arc. But the unclear storytelling makes finding deeper meaning a chore.
At its core, “Ballad of a Small Player” is a story of redemption that offers an unorthodox depiction of addiction. He boldly serves us his story with touches of existentialism and tragedy. And its purgatory-like perspective pushes us to question what we see. But all these grand ambitions lead to pitfalls from which the film cannot escape. Worse yet, the lack of clarity leaves things unclear, to the point where deciphering everything can be a headache.
“The Ballad of a Gambler” is one of the most visually arresting films of the year. It’s also one of the biggest disappointments of the year. The film is a visual treat, brimming with neon-drenched images and richly detailed compositions. And it’s anchored by a terrific lead performance from Colin Farrell who deserved more fully realized material than he was given. But even with his stunning presentation, Berger can’t bring together the wealth of big ideas he clearly has. For this reason, his latest film falls well short of his previous two winners.
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