THE GAMBLER

Cole's Rating: ★★

Director: Karel Reisz

Year: 1974

Cast: James Caan, Paul Sorvino

Genre: Crime/Drama

MPAA Rating: R

        Imagine an amateur dart player put in a competition. His first dart gets on the board, but it’s far from a bullseye. The second misses, and sets the tone for the majority of the time spent shooting. Periodically throughout (and I mean very seldom), it hits the dartboard, but never getting closer than it did the first time. The Gambler is the cinematic equivalency of the described situation, and not only does the dart accuracy resemble the quality of filmmaking throughout the films duration, but also the level of engagement and resonation from scene to scene. It seems as if a minuscule amount thought was put into the script, and as a result, the movie gets the same on the receiving end after the credits roll.


        It’s justifiably a bad film because there’s no emotion in any of it. James Caan, while harnessing his generally talented screen presence, gives a one-note performance to match that of the movie itself: one-note. Gambling is bad. The question I asked when this winded down to a close was, “That’s it? That’s the best you got?”. Sounds like something you’d say while trash talking an inferior opponent in sports, right? Wrong, that’s what I say to/about movies that disappoint me to an incredible extent.

        Caan plays Axel, “The Gambler”, who gambles because he likes the idea that he may lose. He claims that there is no point on betting on a game he is sure about because that defeats the purpose of gambling in the first place. When he gets himself into $44,000 worth of debt to the mob, he borrows from his rich mother and gambles it all away. One problem with this movie is that it seems as if the script has a lack of understanding of the main character, or a compulsive gambler in general. By the time The Gambler reaches its closing scene, Axel is made out to be a despicable, loathsome person who cheats, lies, and takes advantage of other people, when in fact, he’s the victim who has an addiction that ruins lives. As the viewer, instead of wanting this poor soul to seek help, or for help to find him, I wanted to see this character leave the screen.

        I like James Caan. I’m still haunted by his passion and authoritative way he guided the screen in The Godfather. Now, I know that this movie was made in 1974, and it was shot in color, but if anything, Caan makes this feel like it’s in black and white. His performance is colorless, sluggish, and bland. The dart player did, however, conclude with a bang (getting it on the board again). Its conclusion may be the best thing about it because its realizing and clever, but ultimately, that stands alone. If you want my advice on whether or not to view this, I can say this: if you’re a person who appreciates a sense of understanding, resonation, and disturbance in a movie about a tortured soul, then I’d stay away from this film. If you’re a person who doesn’t require any of those things in the script, then you will probably enjoy a movie like The Gambler.

-Written by Cole Pollyea