The Gambler

A genius to some, a literary professor to others, a gambler to a whole different crowd, Jim Bennett (Mark Wahlberg), has managed to get into the pocket of some difficult men– dangerous men who want to be paid back for their loans. It’ll take cunning, smarts, a woman/student (Brie Larson), and the sage advice of loan shark named Frank (John Goodman), to dig his way out of his own misery, but is it too late?
Directed by Rupert Wyatt this suspenseful, dramatic, and unintentionally dry comedy shines a light on the seedy underbelly of the gambling world, big dollars, high stakes, and bigger problems. And for Wahlberg, while its hard to take him seriously as a lit prof, he still manages to create a likable antihero; despite his character’s flaws we still want to see him learn and succeed, well done Mark. And, John Goodman, the man steals the show, he’s like a modern day Buddha with a foul mouth, the uncle you never had (but wished you did), the right guy at the right time. All but for a final running sequence in the film where no one breaks a sweat, you’ve got a winner here as well. The Gambler is rated R.