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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