The Gambler
Literature professor Jim Bennett leads a secret life as a high-stakes gambler. Always a risk-taker, Bennett bets it all when he borrows from a gangster and offers his own life as collateral. Staying one step ahead, he pits his creditor against the operator of an illicit gambling ring while garnering the attention of Frank, a paternalistic loan shark. As his relationship with a student deepens, Bennett must risk everything for a second chance.
Critics Sentiment
Frank advises Jim about changing his attitude toward life
Jim gambles away his mother's money with Amy
The film peaks with Frank's compelling philosophical advice then crashes when Jim immediately gambles away his mother's money, showing his self-destructive nature.
The Gambler receives mixed reception with critics praising individual performances, particularly John Goodman's philosophical Frank, while struggling with Jim Bennett's unlikeable self-destructive protagonist. The film builds tension effectively through gambling sequences and debt escalation, but many reviewers found the character's choices frustrating and the resolution too neat. Overall sentiment remains steady around mediocre, elevated by strong acting but weighed down by an unsympathetic lead and generic gambling film tropes.
Full cast
Showing 20 of 31
Mark Wahlberg
Jim Bennett
John Goodman
Frank
Brie Larson
Amy Phillips
Michael Kenneth Williams
Neville Baraka
George Kennedy
Ed
Jessica Lange
Roberta
Richard Schiff
Jeweler
Andre Braugher
Dean Fuller
Emory Cohen
Dexter
Domenick Lombardozzi
Big Ernie
Anthony Kelley
Lamar Allen
Alvin Ing
Mister Lee
Da'Vone McDonald
Neville's Muscle
Griffin Cleveland
Young Jim
Omar Leyva
Valet
Steve Park
Number 2
Chil Kong
Blackjack Dealer #1
Amin Joseph
Neville's Bookkeeper
Cjon Saulsberry
Neville's Posse
Teebone Mitchell
Neville's Posse
Crew
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