The Gambler (Rupert Wyatt, 2014): USA

Reviewed by Rebeca Forward. Viewed at the AFI Fest 2014.

Rupert Wyatt as a director, and the cast Mark Wahlberg, John Goodman, Brie Larson they all did a great gob creating an entertaining movie. A movie that shows “first world problems”. It’s about a college professor who spends his money and nights gambling in the underground scene. He loans money from gangsters who want their money back. He comes from a rich family and his mother is willing to give him the money to pay his debt, instead of paying it he went back to gamble again. He cannot stop until he risks everything.

The movie portraits good how addicted people can get and how money rules the world and this is typical for America. As I saw this movie I was still wondering why he couldn’t stop playing, he had a good life but he wasn’t satisfied with it. Mark Wahlberg is an amazing actor who brought the emotion of “wanting more” and “the fact that he cannot stop” gambling to his audience perfectly. His facial expression spoke more than words. I like that this is a movie that’s not all about love, but more about struggle and the fact that there are a lot of people that are addicted to gambling.

I really liked the end of the movie. Mark Wahlberg gambled a last time to pay the two gangsters back he owed a tons of money too. He won, after that he announces that he played for “this two gentleman” that he is not a gambler and runs away. This running showed that he left behind what happened and that he runs himself free. Everyone knows that running works if you want to clear your head.

All in all really entertaining and interesting.