BALLAD OF A SMALL PLAYER MOVIE REVIEW

Did you know that there are other casinos in the world and Las Vegas doesn’t corner the market on gambling? It’s true! Also the tables offer more than poker and blackjack. That’s right, sometimes the cards are used for a game called baccarat. It’s a simple game in which the player bets on whether their hand or the banker’s hand is closer to the sum of 9. We have our game, we have our stakes, and we also have Colin Farrell teaming up with director Edward Berger (Conclave). Netflix presents Ballad of a Small Player. Doyle (Farrell) and his tacky golden gloves are playing high stakes baccarat tables at the casino in Macau and he’s running up his debts faster then he can run from his past. A mysterious woman called Blithe (Tilda Swinton) seems to be following him and it looks like that past might be catching up with him. Doyle must decide whether or not his soul is even worth saving, and when it comes to salvation, who doesn’t want a little help from a beautiful friend, in this case, Dao Ming (Fala Chen). Bradly, Kate, and Rhett discuss their knowledge and lack of knowledge concerning big gaming and touring casinos around the world, if they can or cannot stomach the performance of Farrell going all in as a self abusive addict, and Rhett for the first time on one of us demonstrates the rare art of method podcasting.

WATCH HERE

DIRECTED BY: Edward Berger

STARRING: Colin Farrell, Fala Chen, Tilda Swinton, Deanie Ip, Alex Jennings, Anthony Wong

 

YOUR REVIEWERS

 



Bradly Martin (Screener Squad Boss, Eye on the Prize, Breakfast Pub)

Bradly Martin was born in the united states and grew up on a healthy diet of sports, films, and books. A rather shy lad who kept to himself, Bradly soon discovered the best way to know a person was to know what people liked. Throughout the years Bradly became a fan of many things and a fanatic of none. From Doctor Dre, to Doctor Strange and the who’s who of Whos. From Playstation to the Dreamcast and Marvel to DC. From LeBron James to James Bond and Lord of the Rings to Lord Palmerston (or Pitt the Elder if you agree with Wade Boggs) and is a huge fan of dad jokes and randomly obscure Simpsons references. Armed with a vast knowledge of comics, films, and pop culture. Bradly traveled the world making friends and sharing takes. As a young man Bradly married the love of his life young and grew older every year with each new child brought into the brood. If trends continue, Scientists predict that .2% of Canada (where Bradly and family reside) will be populated by Bradly’s children by the year 2029. You can hear him leading and listening to his favorite critics on the Screener Squad and maybe even providing some comments of his own.

 



Kate Chambers (Highly Suspect Reviews, Screener Squad)

Kate is a certified horror fiend and Horse Girl™. Her name isn’t short for anything. A native Austinite, she graduated with a BFA in Film Production from the University of Colorado Boulder then returned to the Lone Star State to make her home amid the cinephiles of the Alamo Drafthouse and the Austin Film Society. In her spare time, you can find her either down at the barn with her noble steed Jazz, watching as many movies as possible (often at work), cuddling with her pair of black cats and writing horror scripts, or nursing a beer in any available body of water… or doing Duolingo, where she’s currently on a 1000+ day streak.

 



Rhett O’Hara

Rhett O’Hara has really been looking forward to writing this “about me”. He blames movies for a lot of things in his life. He blames seeing Batman Returns as a child for his interest in all things goth and camp. He blames seeing Akira at far too young of an age for his interest in films that dare to...