vikasjoshi-99705 Director deserve praise for depicting harsh reality of gambling & its trauma .. Brilliant performance of mark wahlberg add more interest in movie.

kekscss The plot of the film is quite interesting, it's easy to watch. This film is about a man who loves to gamble. The situation goes so far that once at stake is not the amount of money, but his life. The most interesting thing is that during the day he is an ordinary literature teacher who teaches young people life, and at the same time does it quite unreasonably with her. Excitement - that's what he can not live without. Jim absolutely does not care what happens to him, his motto is "all or nothing". In the title role, one of my favorite actors of our time is Mark Wahlberg. He perfectly entered the image and opened the character. Also worth noting is Bree Larson, who played his apprentice, who knows about his second life and is trying to help him in some way. Such a life may seem cheerful, but sooner or later everything comes to an end and it is necessary to make a choice: to stop or make a risk that may be the last. I liked this movie so much that I watched it a second time. The most important point and for what I'm ready to watch it again and again is the ending. She keeps in suspense and then lets go. There is nothing superfluous in the film. I advise everyone to watch this movie.

gradyharp Screenwriter and self confessed compulsive gambler James Toback joined William Monahan to concoct this rather bizarre but ultimately fascinating film about a very bright English Literature Associate Professor who is an inveterate gambler. Rupert Wyatt directs this cross between philosophy of life and the dangers of the life of gambling. Jim Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) is a risk taker. Both an English professor and a high-stakes gambler, Bennett bets it all when he borrows from a gangster (Michael Kenneth Williams) and offers his own life as collateral. Always one step ahead, Bennett pits his creditor against the operator of a gambling ring and leaves his dysfunctional relationship with his wealthy mother (Jessica Lange) in his wake. He plays both sides, immersing himself in an illicit, underground world while garnering the attention of Frank (John Goodman in a superb performance), a loan shark with a paternal interest in Bennett's future. As his relationship with a student (Brie Larson) deepens, Bennett must take the ultimate risk for a second chance.The strange admixture of classroom teaching with students whose views of learning vary from creativity to going pro-basketball (Anthony Kelley) bring out some interesting philosophical comments from Jim the teacher to the underworld of crime and gambling that is complicated by Jim's addiction to the 'sport' ultimately makes for a thought provoking film. There are some fine supporting roles by Andre Braugher, George Kennedy, Alvin Ing, Richard Schiff, but in the end the performances by John Goodman and Mark Wahlberg are the focus of the odd but compelling drama.

toddg-473-289818 It took me three sittings to get through this movie, partly due to boredom, and partly because I stopped caring what happened to Mark Wahlberg's character.THE GAMBLER is about Jim Bennett, who lives a double life as a college professor and a degenerate gambler. He quickly finds himself out of control, and in debt to more than one shady character. Even with his mother bailing him out, he proceeds to blow more money, seemingly not caring about the result.The problem with this movie is twofold: First, the script is written in a very theatrical way, with long soliloquies more befitting a Shakespearean character than a movie actor. Nobody in real life talks like that. Second, Mark Walhberg does not have the depth or ability to deliver these long speeches in any other way than a monotonous mumble. In addition, his character shows little emotional range, making the audience share his ambivalence, not caring whether or not he finds redemption in the end.The only entertaining contribution to this movie comes from John Goodman, one of the loan sharks to whom Mark Wahlberg's character is deeply indebted. Unfortunately, Goodman only plays a small role in an otherwise forgettable movie.