the gambler movie review

Advertisement

Supported by

Movie Review

For a Professor, the Thrill of Teaching Isn’t Enough

• Share full article

By Manohla Dargis

• Dec. 24, 2014

In “The Gambler,” a movie about a guy who’s a glutton for criminally high stakes and for punishment, a skeletonized Mark Wahlberg wears a mop of greasy hair and an abject look. In some scenes, he looks crushed and lost, like a wadded scrap of paper that fell short of the garbage bin. It soon becomes clear why. His character, Jim Bennett, hit the literary jackpot years ago with a well-received first and only published novel. Now Jim splits his time between teaching college — say hello to Professor Wahlberg — and betting and losing at gaming tables, some in underworld parlors around a Los Angeles that’s been Michael Mann-ed into a smear of throbbing color and would-be existential dread.

“The Gambler” is based on the terrific lowdown and gritty 1974 movie of the same title starring James Caan. That film was beautifully directed by Karel Reisz from James Toback ’s script about his experience as a gambler and college lecturer; the new one was directed by Rupert Wyatt from a screenplay by William Monahan, who also wrote Martin Scorsese’s Academy Award windfall “The Departed.” Without a script in hand, it’s tough to tell how significant a contribution a writer makes to a movie, what was retained or changed from page to screen. All that’s clear in this “Gambler” is that almost everything that makes the original so pleasurably idiosyncratic, from its daft ideas to the peekaboo bear rug spread over Mr. Caan’s often-bared chest, has been expunged from the remake.

A change in name is the least of it but is symptomatic of the material’s bowdlerization. Mr. Caan’s gambler is Axel Freed and the scion of a wealthy Jewish New York family. (The name suggests that Mr. Toback was familiar with Dostoyevsky’s short autobiographical novel “The Gambler,” in which the protagonist is named Alexei.) Recast as an ethnically generic poor little rich boy, Mr. Wahlberg’s Jim Bennett lives in Los Angeles, mostly after dark in illegal gambling dens where Asian and black habitués serve as decoration. In one of the remake’s better touches, Jim and some other gamblers stroll into these joints with satchels and briefcases stuffed with cash, like salarymen purposefully marching off to work. Gambling isn’t his profession, though it is his calling, habit and love.

The story mostly involves Jim’s consuming passion with gambling and, in a quasi-Freudian move, learning to transfer that libidinous energy to a dubiously healthier object, in this case one of his young students, Amy (an underused Brie Larson). Mr. Monahan may have lifted the teacher-student liaison from Dostoyevsky’s biography and novelist’s relationship with a much younger woman. That’s moderately interesting, but it doesn’t mean anything for Amy (or Ms. Larson), who does little more than look intently at Jim when he’s jumping around the lecture hall or laying down some heavy thoughts. Ms. Larson holds your eyes and interest, but she’s as ornamental as the stick figure played by Lauren Hutton in the 1974 film.

We are having trouble retrieving the article content.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and  log into  your Times account, or  subscribe  for all of The Times.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber?  Log in .

Want all of The Times?  Subscribe .

Things you buy through our links may earn  Vox Media  a commission.

Mark Wahlberg Plays the Ultimate Buzzkill in The Gambler

Is casting Mark Wahlberg as a self-loathing literature professor an inspired or ridiculous choice? Can it be both? It’s hard to decide even after seeing The Gambler, director Rupert Wyatt and screenwriter William Monahan’s re-imagining of Karel Reisz and writer James Toback’s 1974 film. The original story, though it shares some rough similarities with Dostoevsky’s novella The Gambler , was inspired by Toback’s own life as a moneyed Harvard grad and City College lecturer whose own gambling addictions are well documented. His career since has focused on documenting personalities living between seemingly opposite extremes. (In Fingers , the first and best film Toback directed, Harvey Keitel played a concert pianist who worked as a bag man for the mob.)

As the never-smiling, tormented Jim Bennett, Wahlberg gets to put his characteristic glower to good use. By night, he hangs out in dark rooms where the dress code appears simply to be “black,” winning and losing scads of money on blackjack and roulette without so much as a blink. He’s now in trouble with two brutal loan shark/crime lords, and by the end of the film, he’ll be in debt to another. By day, he is a talented, take-no-prisoners literature professor and failed novelist, prone to long monologues before his class about existentialism, suicide, and the unfair distribution of talent. This guy is the ultimate buzzkill: When a student brings up the notion that Shakespeare might not have written the plays credited to him, Jim goes off about how “what lies behind every Shakespeare controversy is rage” — at the fact that someone so low-bred, so unassuming, could be so talented — and then points out the only student in his entire class who he thinks has the requisite talent to succeed at literature. (Surprise, she’s played by Brie Larson , who also happens to work at those gambling establishments Jim frequents, and who has the hots for him.) To Jim, life seems to be a clutter of roles we play — disguises, really — to avoid the fundamental emptiness at our core. Appropriately, Wyatt (whose previous film was the wonderful 2011 sci-fi reboot Rise of the Planet of the Apes ) drains his images of color and warmth. This is a chilly, blue-gray-black monolith of a movie, occasionally beautiful and cool, but often forbidding and cruel in its bleakness. That extends to the supporting cast as well. As the trio of loan sharks hounding Bennett, all of them philosophers in their own way, Michael Kenneth Williams, Alvin Ing, and John Goodman all get to stoically expound upon the meaninglessness of life. They’re not characters — they’re existential facts.


Wahlberg has more range than he gets credit for , but he’s not entirely right for the extremes of this part. He can do desperation well, but he’s not exactly a smartest-guy-in-the-room kind of actor. He did make for a brilliant motormouth, though, in Martin Scorsese’s The Departed , which Monahan also wrote; there, he gave the writer’s elaborate verbal assaults an almost physical force, spitting them out like daggers at pretty much anybody who came along. Here, however, the daggers are pointed inward. The character’s self-loathing and self-destructiveness aren’t even the film’s subtext; they’re its text. Wahlberg gives it the old college try — this is the most present he’s been in a part in ages, and it’s always fun to watch him — but he also struggles with the nonstop verbal curlicues of Monahan’s script. The words have force, but they don’t sound like they’re his. At the same time, it could be argued that this part calls more for a brute than an intellectual. There’s a physical component to it: Bennett is a man in debt to three very brutal loan sharks, who thumbs his nose at these criminals as he toys with their money. James Caan, who played the role in the (admittedly very different) 1974 film, wasn’t exactly anybody’s idea of a pointy-headed deep thinker either. This is someone putting himself in physical danger, over and over again. And so Wahlberg grows into the part. He may not be right as a precocious, self-loathing intellectual, but he’s very much at home playing a dickhead who’s gotten in too deep. And as The Gambler becomes less about its protagonist’s dashed intellectualism and more about the gathering danger of his predicament, the film gains power.

• rupert wyatt
• mark wahlberg
• the gambler
• movie review

Most Viewed Stories

• Cinematrix No. 162: September 4, 2024
• 2024’s Comedians You Should and Will Know
• Adam Pearson Is No Wallflower
• Only Murders in the Building Recap: Show Your Cards
• What to Know About Taeil’s Sex-Crime Allegations
• Welcome to New MILF Cinema
• The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Premiere Recap: Sauron Unmasked

Editor’s Picks

Most Popular

What is your email.

This email will be used to sign into all New York sites. By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive email correspondence from us.

Sign In To Continue Reading

Create your free account.

Password must be at least 8 characters and contain:

• Lower case letters (a-z)
• Upper case letters (A-Z)
• Numbers (0-9)
• Special Characters (!@#$%^&*)

As part of your account, you’ll receive occasional updates and offers from New York , which you can opt out of anytime.

The Gambler (III) (2014)

• User Reviews

Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews

• User Ratings
• External Reviews
• Metacritic Reviews
• Full Cast and Crew
• Release Dates
• Official Sites
• Company Credits
• Filming & Production
• Technical Specs
• Plot Summary
• Plot Keywords
• Parents Guide

Did You Know?

• Crazy Credits
• Alternate Versions
• Connections
• Soundtracks

Photo & Video

• Photo Gallery
• Trailers and Videos

Related Items

• External Sites

Related lists from IMDb users

Recently Viewed

The Gambler

James Caan in "The Gambler"

“Jeez, Axel, I never seen such bad cards,” Axel Freed’s friend tells him consolingly. They’re standing in the kitchen of a New York apartment, and gray dawn is seeping through the smoke. Axel has never seen such bad cards either. His disbelief that anyone could draw so many lousy poker hands in a row has led him finally $44,000 into debt. He doesn’t have the money, but it’s been a bigtime game, and he has to find it somewhere or be in heavy trouble.

And that’s how Karel Reisz ’s The Gambler begins: with a problem. The way Axel solves his problem is only fairly difficult. He borrows the money from his mother, who is a doctor. But then we discover that his problem is greater than his debt, because there is some final compulsion within him that won’t let him pay back the money. He needs to lose, to feel risk, to place himself in danger. He needs to gamble away the forty-four grand on even more hopeless bets because in a way it isn’t gambling that’s his obsession-it’s danger itself.

“I play in order to lose,” he tells his bookie at one point. “That’s what gets my juice going. If I only bet on the games I know, I could at least break even.” But he doesn’t want that. At one point, he’s driven to bet money he doesn’t really have on college basketball games picked almost at random out of the sports pages.

And yet Axel Freed is not simply a gambler, but a very complicated man in his mid-thirties who earns his living as a university literature teacher. He teaches Dostoyevski, William Carlos Williams, Thoreau. But he doesn’t seem to teach their works so much as what he finds in them to justify his own obsessions. One of the students in his class has Axel figured out so completely that she always has the right answer, when he asks what Thoreau is saying, or what Dostoyevski is saying. They’re saying, as Axel reads them, to take risks, to put the self on the line.

“Buffalo Bill’s defunct,” he says, quoting the e. e. cummings poem, and the death of the nineteenth-century age of heroes obsesses him. In that earlier age, he could have tested himself more directly. His grandfather came to America flat broke, fought and killed to establish himself, and still is a man of enormous vitality at the age of eighty. The old man is respectable now (he owns a chain of furniture stores), but the legend of his youth fascinates Axel, who recites it poetically at the eightieth-birthday party.

Axel finds nothing in 1974 to test himself against, however. He has to find his own dangers, to court and seduce them. And the ultimate risk in his life as a gambler is that behind his friendly bookies and betting cronies is the implacable presence of the Mafia, the guys who take his bets like him, but if he doesn’t pay, there’s nothing they can do. “It’s out of my hands,” his pal Hips explains. “A bad gambling debt has got to be taken care of.” And that adds an additional dimension to The Gambler, which begins as a portrait of Axel Freed’s personality, develops into the story of his world, and then pays off as a thriller. We become so absolutely contained by Axel’s problems and dangers that they seem like our own. There’s a scene where he soaks in the bathtub and listens to the last minutes of a basketball game, and another scene where he sits in the stands and watches a basketball game he has tried to fix (while a couple of hit men watch him), and these scenes have a quality of tension almost impossible to sustain.

But Reisz sustains them, and makes them all the more real because he doesn’t populate the rest of his movie with stock characters.

Axel Freed, as played by James Caan , is himself a totally convincing personality, and original. He doesn’t derive from other gambling movies or even from other roles he’s played.

And the people around him also are specific, original creations. His mother Naomi ( Jacqueline Brooks ) is a competent, independent person who gives him the money because she fears for his life, and yet understands that his problem is deeper than gambling. His grandfather, marvelously played by Morris Carnovsky , is able to imply by his behavior why he fascinates Axel so. The various bookies and collectors he comes across aren’t Mafia stereotypes. They enforce more in sorrow than in anger. Only his girlfriend ( Lauren Hutton ) fails to seem very real. Here’s still another demonstration of the inability of contemporary movies to give us three-dimensional women under thirty.

There’s a scene in The Gambler that has James Caan on screen all by himself for two minutes, locked in a basement room, waiting to meet a Mafia boss who will arguably instruct that his legs be broken. In another movie, the scene could have seemed too long, too eventless.

But Reisz, Caan, and screenwriter James Toback have constructed the character and the movie so convincingly that the scene not only works, but works two ways: first as suspense, and then as character revelation. Because as we look into Axel Freed’s caged eyes we see a person who is scared to death and yet stubbornly ready for this moment he has brought down upon himself.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

Leave a comment

Now playing.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Piece by Piece

Merchant Ivory

The Deliverance

City of Dreams

Out Come the Wolves

Seeking Mavis Beacon

Latest articles

Venice Film Festival 2024: The Biennale College

Telluride Film Festival 2024: Nickel Boys, The Piano Lesson, September 5

Fight or Flight: Jeremy Saulnier on Rebel Ridge

Female Filmmakers in Focus: Mika Gustafson and Alexander Öhrstrand

The best movie reviews, in your inbox.

The Gambler

By Peter Travers

Peter Travers

Place your bets, ladies and gents: Will this update of  1974’s The Gambler, in which James Caan played a college prof addicted to the turn of the card and the role of the dice, equal or surpass the original? Don’t get your hopes up.

But it’s not for lack of trying. Mark Wahlberg brings a fierce energy to the role of  compulsive gambler Jim Bennett that almost gets you over the rough spots. What this remake lacks is the hypnotic pull of the first version, directed by Karel Reisz from an autobiographical script by first-timer James Toback that bristled with swaggering wit and philosophical gamesmanship. The new version is directed by Rupert Wyatt ( Rise of the Planet of the Apes ) from a script by William Monahan, who wrote The Departed — a film that won Wahlberg an Oscar nomination  for the way he spewed out its tough-talking dialogue.

T.I. and Tiny Accuse Toy Titan of Being 'Willful Infringer' in Third OMG Girlz Trial

'half-breed' and 'brown sugar' vanished: why classic artists are censoring themselves, donald trump has to stop playing 'hold on, i'm coming' at rallies, judge rules, see lady gaga's harley quinn sing a judy garland song to the joker in 'folie à deux'.

The fit of actor and role is not so smooth here. You can feel the strain as the story switches locales from New York to Los Angeles where Jim teaches a college class on the modern novel and castigates his students for not being able to recognize genius even when they read it. One exception is Amy Phillips (Brie Larson), a pupil who knows her stuff and also knows that her prof spends his nights losing his shirt at blackjack at the Korean-run casino where she works. Jim has led a privileged life thanks to his mother (the reliably superb Jessica Lange ). But after his fed-up mom bails Jim out to the tune of the $240,000 he owes casino owner Mr. Lee (Alvin Ing), our boy is back at tables. He also makes the major mistake of borrowing money from loan shark Neville Baraka (Michael Kenneth Williams) and later from Frank (a funny-scary John Goodman), a lender for whom a pound of flesh is insufficient payback.

Wyatt keeps the action coming at a fast clip, but watching Jim repeatedly pursue a path of self-destruction for reasons never made clear grows wearying. The romance between Jim and Amy feels cooked up, despite the talents of Larson, who impressed mightily in Short Terms 12. Jim is playing a losing game with himself and his efforts to prove something by putting his life in dire danger can test audience patience beyond endurance. The hopeful ending comes off as too little, too late. Wahlberg gives the role his all, but sticking with Jim is a futile gesture. The Gambler never pays off. It’s a sucker’s bet.

The Menendez Brothers Take Family Drama to New Extremes in 'Monsters' Trailer

• Menendez Mania
• By Jon Blistein

Joaquin Phoenix's 'Joker 2' Weight Loss Was 'Complicated' by All Those Dance Rehearsals

• Dancing King

Winona Ryder and Keanu Reeves Still Honor Their Potentially Real 'Dracula' Marriage

• By Larisha Paul

'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice': Tim Burton's Long-Awaited Sequel Is Fine Fine

• MOVIE REVIEW
• By David Fear

Jenna Ortega: Women 'Should Have Our Own Franchises' Not Just Spinoffs

• She's Real
• By Tomás Mier

Most Popular

Brad pitt and george clooney dance to 4-minute standing ovation for ‘wolfs’ during chaotic venice premiere, richard gere jokes he had "no chemistry" with julia roberts in 'pretty woman', demi moore fuels speculation that she doesn't approve of channing tatum's plans to remake ghost, regina josé galindo puts her body on the line in her art confronting power, you might also like, apple tv offers mls season pass for a whopping 90% off for the rest of the season, exclusive: movado brings the spirit of movement to life with latest icons campaign, the best yoga mats for any practice, according to instructors, 2025 oscars: best animated feature predictions, turf wars: each nfl team has its own multimillion-dollar calculus.

Rolling Stone is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2024 Rolling Stone, LLC. All rights reserved.

‘The Gambler’ Review: Mark Wahlberg Folds Despite a Jackpot of a Supporting Cast

Remake lacks the 1974 version’s bleak power, but a powerful ensemble (including Jessica Lange and John Goodman) makes up for a disappointing lead performance

Watching either version of “The Gambler” is akin to witnessing a man slowly sinking into the pit of quicksand in which he voluntarily stepped; it’s even worse, really, since that same man willfully tosses aside any ropes that might save him from his predicament.

But while James Caan  in the 1974 version offered a kind of existentialist bravado, Mark Wahlberg comes off as more of an entitled jerk. Bratty and self-destructive make for a bad combination, and it’s what we get from the title character this time around.

This new “Gambler” will no doubt be enjoyed more by those who never saw the original, written by James Toback and directed by Karel Reisz, and not just because the first movie’s journey from New York to Vegas has now been downsized to a day-trip from L.A. to the Morongo Casino. Hollywood of four decades ago was more willing to bum out its audiences, to plunge into the depths of humanity without offering up any kind of respite; in 2014, neither casinos nor studio movies are what they used to be.

Wahlberg stars as Jim Bennett, who bailed on literature after one novel and now teaches at an unnamed Los Angeles college. He comes from a wealthy background; grandpa (George Kennedy) was a banking magnate who dies in the first scene, leaving Jim nothing, while mom Roberta (Jessica Lange) manages the purse strings. Early on, we see Jim attend an underground gambling party where he loses money, borrows more, and loses that too, all in front of one of his students, Amy (Brie Larson), who’s a cater-waitress.

There can be fascination in watching a downward spiral, but as written here by Monahan ( “The Departed” ) and directed by Rupert Wyatt ( “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” ), Jim comes off as a spoiled whiner who deserves not only the punishment the film heaps upon him but also a few extra helpings.

Wahlberg, to his credit, does make a believable college professor, complete with glasses and discussions of Shakespeare and Camus, even if some of his bounding-into-the-audience mannerisms lead to “The Mirror Has Two Faces” levels of incredulity. At the same time, he has a disconcerting habit here of talking faster as a way to convey a variety of emotions, from impatience to disappointment to intellectual rationalizations. Wahlberg’s a fine actor, one who’s equally magnetic as hero or heel, but his work in “The Gambler” counts as one of his occasional miscalculations.

What Wahlberg fails to accomplish is to make us interested in Jim’s plight and his addiction; it was one thing for Wahlberg to shrink back and allow the larger-than-life supporting characters of “The Fighter” to take center stage, but this is a case where it’s on him to give us someone in whom we can be invested, even if that investment leads to loathing or pity. (His performance doesn’t just pale emotionally against Caan’s, but visually as well: Wyatt reenacts the earlier film’s iconic upward shot of the character framed by the casino ceiling, but this time around, it doesn’t pop.)

Once again, however, Wahlberg finds himself surrounded by a top-flight cadre of actors, with Lange and Goodman getting some of their meatiest film roles in ages, and Williams commanding the screen in a way that the movies have rarely offered him before now.

Wyatt and cinematographer Greig Fraser ( “Zero Dark Thirty” ) get a great deal of mileage from their L.A. locations, from the hills to the desert to downtown, with a mud-slide dream sequence thrown in for good measure. The director also makes the blackjack sequences so tense and exciting that you wish that same level of engagement spilled over to the rest of the movie.

Composers Jon Brion and Theo Green offer up a score that’s both chilling and propulsive, but music supervisor Clint Bennett could have eased up on obvious choices like “Money” and “Creep,” even though we’re getting cover versions.

And a cover version is pretty much what this do-over of “The Gambler” represents, with the rougher edges mixed out and sweetened. It’s no mystery why actors and directors want to relive the magic of American studio movies from the fabled 1970s, but if you’re not going to take the risks that the originals did, or illuminate as much about the characters, why redo them at all?

The Gambler Review

07 Nov 1997

Gambler, The

A key player in the development of Hungarian cinema in the 1950s and 60s, Karoly Makk finally forged an international reputation with Szerelem (Love), which won the Special Jury Prize at Cannes in 1971, but his films have rarely been accorded the privilege of a UK release.

Consequently, anybody coming fresh to his work with this version of Dostoevsky's autobiographical novel will be unaware that he is capable of much better. That's not to say that The Gambler is a poor film - indeed, it's a much more successful adaptation than The Great Sinner, which starred Gregory Peck - but Makk has overloaded his dice and gone broke on far too many occasions. There are only so many times, for example, you can get away with dissolve cutting or slow-motion shots of a ball bouncing around a roulette wheel.

Makk uses the unusual device of the "novel within a film" to tell his story of how the great Russian writer came to pen his intense study of gambling fever. Seriously on his uppers, Dostoevsky (Gambon) has risked ruin by promising his publisher that he can meet a tight deadline in return for the payment of his debts. He hires a secretary (May) and begins dictating the tale of a young man (Dominic West) who turns to the tables to help his beloved (Walker) escape a lustful creditor.

Everyone's a gambler here - it's just a question of who has more at stake. Occasionally the dialogue sounds a little anachronistic and some of the fictional scenes seem a touch stagey. But the relationship between Gambon and May is fascinating and admirably played. However, the most remarkable performance comes from Luise Rainer, who effortlessly steals her first film in 53 years as a gleeful gambling grandmother.

Letterboxd — Your life in film

Forgotten username or password ?

• Start a new list…
• Add all films to a list…
• Add all films to watchlist

Add to your films…

Press Tab to complete, Enter to create

A moderator has locked this field.

Add to lists

Where to watch

The gambler.

Directed by Rupert Wyatt

The only way out is all in

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.

Mark Wahlberg John Goodman Brie Larson Michael Kenneth Williams George Kennedy Jessica Lange Richard Schiff Andre Braugher Emory Cohen Domenick Lombardozzi Anthony Kelley Alvin Ing Da'Vone McDonald Griffin Cleveland Omar Leyva Steve Park Chil Kong Amin Joseph Cjon Saulsberry Teebone Mitchell Lauren Weedman Leland Orser Jasmond Carroll Ria Wilkinson Chanon Finley Jacob Bertrand Simon Rhee Natalija Ugrina Brooklynne James Show All… Erika Jordan

Director Director

Rupert Wyatt

Producers Producers

David Winkler Mark Wahlberg Irwin Winkler Robert Chartoff Stephen Levinson

Writer Writer

William Monahan

Story Story

James Toback

Casting Casting

Sheila Jaffe

Editor Editor

Pete Beaudreau

Cinematography Cinematography

Greig Fraser

Assistant Directors Asst. Directors

Peter Dress Donald Sparks

Executive Producers Exec. Producers

William Monahan David Crockett James Toback

Lighting Lighting

Michael Bauman

Production Design Production Design

Keith P. Cunningham

Art Direction Art Direction

Dawn Swiderski

Set Decoration Set Decoration

Maggie Martin

Visual Effects Visual Effects

Brooke Lyndon-Stanford

Stunts Stunts

Michael Runyard Damien Bray Dan Mast Steve Kim Keenen Bray Tierre Turner Ben Hernandez Bray Eddie J. Fernandez Neil Macwan Randy Peters Ray Siegle Hawk Walts Keith Woulard Eugene Collier Randy Hall Frank Torres Eric Norris

Composers Composers

Jon Brion Theo Green

Songs Songs

Sound sound.

Ron Bartlett Chuck Michael Lee Orloff Dan O'Connell David Grimaldi Tim Gomillion

Costume Design Costume Design

Jacqueline West

Makeup Makeup

Howard Berger Douglas Noe

Hairstyling Hairstyling

Patricia Gundlach Johnny Villanueva

Paramount Pictures Closest to the Hole Productions Leverage Entertainment Winkler Films

Releases by Date

10 nov 2014, 25 dec 2014, 31 dec 2014, 01 jan 2015, 02 jan 2015, 06 jan 2015, 08 jan 2015, 13 jan 2015, 15 jan 2015, 21 jan 2015, 22 jan 2015, 25 feb 2015, 18 mar 2015, 26 mar 2015, 23 apr 2015, 24 jun 2015, 26 aug 2015, 02 jun 2015, releases by country.

• Theatrical MA15+
• Physical 14
• Theatrical 11
• Theatrical 12
• Theatrical 16
• Theatrical 15
• Digital R18+

New Zealand

• Theatrical M/14
• Theatrical 18+
• Premiere AFI Fest
• Theatrical R

111 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by Frank ★★★ 7

1/8 star reduction for "The Wire" stunt casting 1/8 star reduction for college basketball ignorance 1/4 star reduction for children's choir version of Creep

Review by nickusen

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

the movie is largely a chore until near the end when John Goodman comes out of nowhere looking like Baron Harkonnen & makes an absolute meal out of his five mins of screen time. Its not enough to recommend the full movie, but the scene itself is worth pulling up on youtube.

This movie’s saving grace is that it understands that every member of organized crime is really just some guy who wants to talk at you while you’re forced to sit in silence and drink the most disgusting rum & coke you’ve ever had in your life

Review by matt lynch ★★★

Bart: "500 on red." Croupier: "The winner is black." Bart: "Cool!"

this really isn't in any position to interrogate its incessant macho narcissism, but it frequently displays some hilariously matter-of-fact self-awareness about its bullshit, not unlike, say, an unusually pragmatic gambling addict with a death wish. if there's one thing i didn't expect this to be it's blackly funny. too bad about that last scene.

also: for a live-dangerously, ultrahip Associate Professor of English (if that is in fact not something i just made up), Wahlberg's character is apparently a big fan of hacky pop trash. i counted a Clavell, a Crichton, a Clancy, and at least two Micheners in his apartment's ostentatiously unruly stacks.

Review by russman ★★½ 7

You've got to know when to hold 'em. Know when to fold 'em

Review by hamfruitcake ★ 12

I tell the truth, that's all I got

I hated this film. I hated smug Mark Walhberg playing a ginormous red flag of a human being, talking complete nonsense like he wishes he was Ryan Reynolds with possibly the worst haircut I've seen in the longest time. There's charismatic asshole and then there's just ridiculous asshole who I am actively rooting against because he is an egotistical nightmare.

For a beautiful moment, at about the 29th minute Sixto Rodriguez started playing and I felt like the universe was giving me a glorious pat on the back for getting this far.

You hear that abominable Marky-Mark vehicle? You get a star for the soundtrack, now I need a shower. Brie Larson and Omar were wasted in this.

Review by Andrew ★ 3

I pretty much hated this film.

Reasons why:

* I like Mark Wahlberg as an actor, but he has a limited range. This character WAS NOT in that range. Here he is a freaking novelist turned college English professor. NO. No, no, no, no, no. No. It might be his least believable character since THE HAPPENING. When he was trying to deliver his badass lines in the film all I could see was Dirk DIggler performing the terrible script with his limited acting abilities from the movie-within-a-movie in BOOGIE NIGHTS.

* This script is atrocious! Nearly every line was flat and just idiotic. None of the motivations made any sense, none of the character actions were anything that any real…

Review by Travis Lytle ★★★

Focusing more on the unshakable drive to place one more bet than the crushing melancholy of loss, Rupert Wyatt's "The Gambler" gives a new shine to the age-old tale of ill-fated bettors. Starring Mark Wahlberg as a literature professor with a gaming problem, the film provides sharp drama and engaging characters.

Following Wahlberg's addict as he builds up tremendous debt to feed his habit, "The Gambler" treats its audience to both minor character study and plot-driven drama. Colliding with characters that help and hinder him, the gambler sees his life unravel as his debtors begin to squeeze his very existence.

Wyatt assembles a drama that is sleek and potent enough to lead to something occasionally gripping. Wahlberg creates a character…

Review by Cusack ★★★

People are pretty negative towards this movie but I thought it was entertaining the entire way throughout. Sure, the main character is a complete moron but everybody is well acted and the plot is really fun to see unfold.

Review by Mos Co ★½

Didn't like it. Mark Wahlberg is just wrong for this role I reckon, and it's all a bit bland. He's an idiot gambler as well. Bets like he has a death wish. I like John Goodman though.

Review by Keith ★ 2

Baffling and abysmal- thoroughly devoid of tension, has the most inexplicable romance possible (seriously, did they have to recut the story without filming new scenes? was a reel missing?), misfires at just about every step.

Can't believe John Goodman took his top off for this.

Review by Tanner Emeterio ★★★★½ 3

First of all I understand that a 4.5 rating for this movie is fairly unique so let me explain myself. I would like to agree that the writing and directing can seem a little disorganized through this movie. A few instances throughout the first time watching this I wasn't able to keep up. Inappropriate relationship with his student, family woes, gambling issues with multiple groups of people, specific students he connects with, former author, and current professor at what seems to be a pretty good school in..... wait where was this filmed? (Couldn't resist looking it up, it's mostly in LA and partially Las Vegas). There's so much to focus on, but at the same time, this film is named…

Review by Sam Morrison ★½ 1

Not a single, solitary, itty bitty piece of me wants to spend two hours watching a pompous rat bleed out every positive moment in his miserable little life, and that's what I just did.

Mark Wahlberg has some talent. I've enjoyed several of his films in the past, most notably The Departed, The Fighter, and The Other Guys were all vastly enjoyable. For every good movie he's had, he seems to sign on to like 3 more horrendous scripts. Although his acting is great in this...

The behavior his character exhibits is exhausting. I knew a fella very much like him, and we have since parted ways for what are about to very obvious reasons: it's incomparable how self destructive…

Similar Films

Select your preferred backdrop

Select your preferred poster, upgrade to remove ads.

Letterboxd is an independent service created by a small team, and we rely mostly on the support of our members to maintain our site and apps. Please consider upgrading to a Pro account —for less than a couple bucks a month, you’ll get cool additional features like all-time and annual stats pages ( example ), the ability to select (and filter by) your favorite streaming services, and no ads!

Common Sense Media

Movie & TV reviews for parents

• For Parents
• For Educators
• Our Work and Impact

Or browse by category:

• Movie Reviews
• Best Movie Lists
• Best Movies on Netflix, Disney+, and More

Common Sense Selections for Movies

50 Modern Movies All Kids Should Watch Before They're 12

• Best TV Lists
• Best TV Shows on Netflix, Disney+, and More
• Common Sense Selections for TV
• Video Reviews of TV Shows

Best Kids' Shows on Disney+

Best Kids' TV Shows on Netflix

• Book Reviews
• Best Book Lists
• Common Sense Selections for Books

8 Tips for Getting Kids Hooked on Books

50 Books All Kids Should Read Before They're 12

• Game Reviews
• Best Game Lists

Common Sense Selections for Games

• Video Reviews of Games

Nintendo Switch Games for Family Fun

• Podcast Reviews
• Best Podcast Lists

Common Sense Selections for Podcasts

Parents' Guide to Podcasts

• App Reviews
• Best App Lists

Social Networking for Teens

Gun-Free Action Game Apps

Reviews for AI Apps and Tools

• YouTube Channel Reviews
• YouTube Kids Channels by Topic

Parents' Ultimate Guide to YouTube Kids

YouTube Kids Channels for Gamers

• Preschoolers (2-4)
• Little Kids (5-7)
• Big Kids (8-9)
• Pre-Teens (10-12)
• Teens (13+)
• Screen Time
• Social Media
• Online Safety
• Identity and Community

How to Help Kids Build Character Strengths with Quality Media

• Family Tech Planners
• Digital Skills
• All Articles
• Latino Culture
• Black Voices
• Asian Stories
• Native Narratives
• LGBTQ+ Pride
• Best of Diverse Representation List

Multicultural Books

YouTube Channels with Diverse Representations

Podcasts with Diverse Characters and Stories

The gambler.

• Common Sense Says
• Parents Say 0 Reviews
• Kids Say 1 Review

Common Sense Media Review

Uneven remake makes gambling look dangerous, alluring.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Gambler is a remake of a same-named 1974 drama and stars Mark Wahlberg. Expect some violence -- punching, fighting, and a little blood, as well as shouting and arguing and general tension. Language is extremely strong, with multiple uses of "f--k" and "s--t." Topless women are…

Why Age 17+?

Very strong, constant language: "f--k," "s--t," "piss," "motherf----r," "a--hole

In a strip club, women's naked breasts are shown. Kissing and implied sex betwee

A character is tied up in a chair and punched in the face. Fighting, punching. S

The main character drinks a bottle of alcohol and passes out in his home.

Any Positive Content?

A bit of warning against excessive gambling, although the main character escapes

Even though he's a beloved professor, the main character isn't a role model. He

Very strong, constant language: "f--k," "s--t," "piss," "motherf----r," "a--hole," "p---y," "scumbag."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

In a strip club, women's naked breasts are shown. Kissing and implied sex between a professor and a student.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Violence & Scariness

A character is tied up in a chair and punched in the face. Fighting, punching. Some blood. General tension, shouting, arguing, and anxiety.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Positive Messages

A bit of warning against excessive gambling, although the main character escapes from his life-or-death scrape by a hair's breadth and pays no consequences for his actions. (The movie even celebrates him being totally broke.)

Positive Role Models

Even though he's a beloved professor, the main character isn't a role model. He comes from a rich family and behaves recklessly and selfishly, perhaps believing that someone will bail him out whenever he gets into trouble. He's a slave to his gambling, even though he claims that he's "not a gambler."

Parents need to know that The Gambler is a remake of a same-named 1974 drama and stars Mark Wahlberg . Expect some violence -- punching, fighting, and a little blood, as well as shouting and arguing and general tension. Language is extremely strong, with multiple uses of "f--k" and "s--t." Topless women are seen in a strip club, and the main character kisses one of his students, with implied sex. The main character also drinks heavily and passes out. The movie has enough detail to be considered a cautionary tale against gambling, but at the same time it makes gambling look dangerously alluring. And even though the main character is a much-liked professor, he's in no way a positive role model. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Parent and Kid Reviews

• Parents say
• Kids say (1)

There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.

What's the Story?

Literature professor Jim Bennett ( Mark Wahlberg ) is deeply in debt at an underground gambling establishment, and he only has seven days to pay it back. He borrows from a loan shark, Neville (Michael Kenneth Williams), and loses again. He borrows from his mother ( Jessica Lange ) and loses still more. In class, he encourages a pretty student, Amy ( Brie Larson ), and initiates a vaguely inappropriate relationship with her. Meanwhile, another of his students is top basketball player Lamar ( Anthony Kelley ); pressured by Neville, Jim reluctantly coaxes Lamar to throw the big game. Then, to pay off everything -- including a debt to a shady, verbose underworld figure ( John Goodman ) -- Jim bets everything he has on a spin of the roulette wheel.

Is It Any Good?

THE GAMBLER is yet another Hollywood remake, and, as usual, it's not as good as the original. In this case, that would be the superior The Gambler (1974), which was directed by Karel Reisz , written by James Toback, and starred James Caan . That movie captured a moment, while the remake merely copies one. Still, taking the new movie all by itself, it does have a certain kind of resonance. And, like the original, it also has something to say about the human condition.

Wahlberg is mesmerizing in the lead role, reckless and assured but helplessly drawn to underworld life -- and at the same time confronting his students with harsh realities about writing. Writer William Monahan ( The Departed ) crafts a script full of stylized dialogue, giving actors like John Goodman snappy stuff to chew on. And director Rupert Wyatt plunges his characters into a slick-sleazy vision of a gambler's world. In a way, it's more alluring and less profound than the original, but enough of a cautionary tale that it's still worth a look.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about The Gambler 's violence . How much is shown, and how is it used? How does the movie suggest that the main character is in danger?

Does the movie's romantic, sexual relationship between the professor and his student seem appropriate?

What does the main character learn from his ordeal? Does it seem like he's finished, or will he get into more trouble?

Does this movie make gambling look alluring or dangerous? Do you think that was the intent?

Why do drinking and gambling seem to go together so often in movies?

Movie Details

• In theaters : December 25, 2014
• On DVD or streaming : April 28, 2015
• Cast : Mark Wahlberg , Brie Larson , Jessica Lange
• Director : Rupert Wyatt
• Inclusion Information : Female actors
• Studio : Paramount Pictures
• Genre : Drama
• Run time : 111 minutes
• MPAA rating : R
• MPAA explanation : language throughout, and for some sexuality/nudity
• Last updated : May 25, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

What to watch next.

The Color of Money

Silver Linings Playbook

Cassandra's Dream

Drama movies that tug at the heartstrings, thriller movies.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

Screen Rant

The gambler.

Your changes have been saved

Email is sent

Email has already been sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

Your Rating

Rupert Wyatt

Paramount Pictures

Reviews (0)

Have You Watched It?

Be the first to leave your review.

Mark Wahlberg

John goodman, brie larson, seasons (4).

Season 1 (2016)

Season 2 (2018), season 3 (2022), season 4 (2026), screenrant reviews, 'the gambler' review.

'The Gambler' is pretty much a misfire of concept - even if it makes the admirable move of going for a different thematic angle on the original material.

Latest Reviews

Users reviews (125).

We want to hear from you! Share your opinions in the review below and remember to keep it respectful.

Your comment has not been saved

Latest Stories

The 10 best gambling movies & where to stream them, weekend box office wrap up: january 4th, 2015, movie news: 'entourage' movie delayed, 'mortal instruments 2' postponed & more, related titles.

eternal sunshine of the spotless mind

BABY REINDEER

‘The Gambler’ (2014) Movie Review

By Brad Brevet

The Gambler , a remake of the 1974 film starring James Caan which I have not seen, is another film dealing with addiction and inner demons. This time, as the title obviously states, our protagonist’s (played by Mark Wahlberg ) addiction is gambling and the reasons behind his willingness to go all in and his acceptance when he loses everything seem to stem from his upbringing, including his recently deceased grandfather ( George Kennedy ) who passes away in the film’s opening scene and his wealthy Beverly Hills mother ( Jessica Lange ).

The last time screenwriter William Monahan wrote a movie in which Wahlberg starred it was The Departed and the result was the actor’s first Oscar nomination. While The Gambler won’t likely find Wahlberg earning a third nom, Monahan was definitely crafted a script playing to Wahlberg’s strengths as the best parts of this film come when Wahlberg is going full steam ahead, delivering witty lines at a quick clip, creating a character destined to lose, yet you root for him anyway. In fact, this is both the film’s blessing and curse as director Rupert Wyatt ( Rise of the Planet of the Apes ) has tacked on a two minute ending that feels entirely disingenuous to everything that comes before it. While this doesn’t entirely ruin the film it would have been so, so, so much better if these final minutes didn’t exist.

Wahlberg stars as Jim Bennett, an English professor who finds himself a quarter of a million in debt to the owner of an underground gambling ring ( Alvin Ing ) and the gangster ( Michael Kenneth Williams ) he borrowed from to help cover that debt. However, when Jim borrows to cover a debt he’s not really borrowing anything, he’s just gaining more money to blow at the next table.

Realizing it’s either his life or he pays off the debt, Jim faces a decision of going to his mother for money or asking a scary-as-hell loan shark played by the always impressive John Goodman . Making the character even more interesting is the fact even Jim isn’t sure if he should accept the money, knowing the risks for not only himself, but his family should he fail to pay the money back and when the threats begin to include one of his students ( Brie Larson ) to which he’s taken a liking, he finally seems to see the bigger picture. But, no matter his decision, it’s going to take big risks and a lot of luck to dig his way out of the hole he’s dug for himself.

Wyatt has done a wonderful job crafting the first third of The Gambler , refraining from overly expository scenes, allowing the actors and Monahan’s dialogue to create the characters. He does use the obvious sequence featuring Jim betting big and losing big and it’s a scenario he goes to more than once, but I began to realize my frustration with it comes as a result of not only the fact it isn’t much different than the always tedious act of watching an alcoholic character drink themselves to death in cinema, but from actually liking the character you see on screen. It pains you to see them have the chance to work their way out of their predicament only to choose to stupidly dig themselves even further into trouble. Addiction is a bitch, we all know this, but the only way scenes like this work in a movie is if you actually care for the character on screen and this movie accomplishes that, much in the same way it worked with Mary Elizabeth Winstead in James Ponsoldt’s 2012 feature Smashed .

There’s also an interesting use of music throughout as Wyatt seems to battle against the cliched use of scoring scenes to add an element of drama. He realizes the drama is in the action on screen and any additional use of music will either undercut or destroy the scene altogether. There is so much drama to be found in just letting the scene and ambient noise tell the story and it works wonders here. However, he then includes inserts such as a strangely tuned campus stroll featuring Larson that I didn’t get in the least bit. It was like the movie suddenly broke into a music video before coming back down to earth.

Almost surprisingly, the film’s best scenes come from Jim’s classroom teachings. Jim’s personal decline leaks over into his teaching as he comes to class with what some may consider too honest an approach to teaching. He singles his students out, places the onus on them, asking them just what exactly they expect out of their future, just not in so many words. He seems to care, but his caring comes out of frustration, a frustration you can attribute to what he’s dealing with in his personal life as much as with the world he sees before him.

Wahlberg has always come across as a performer tackling characters that seem very close to his true nature and when he steps out of his element, such as in The Happening , he comes off a bit wooden, but here, for the most part, he embraces Jim’s flaws and thoughts as if they were his own and it really works. At least he had me convinced. Then you get to a pawn shop scene between Jim and the shop owner played by Richard Schiff (“The West Wing”) and you just might have the film’s best five minutes and worth the price of admission alone.

In the end, The Gambler is an uneven film as Wahlberg has to play a character living between two worlds and it doesn’t entirely work when he’s forced to put on a face and play tough guy at the tables, but in the more sincere, weaker moments Jim faces, of which the film is largely made of, Wahlberg nails it. My only major complaint is the film’s ending, which seems like something a Disney exec would tack on after receiving advanced test scores. This is a film begging for an open-ending as the roulette ball comes to a stop over a black screen, leaving the audience to decide Jim’s fate. Your want for him to succeed or fail says as much about him as it does about you and leaving the audience to figure it out for themselves will be as rewarding as it is frustrating and there’s something beautiful in that kind of filmmaking.

Share article

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

• Upcoming Movies and TV shows
• Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
• Media News + More

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

OK, got it!

• About Rotten Tomatoes®
• Login/signup

Movies in theaters

• Opening This Week
• Top Box Office
• Coming Soon to Theaters
• Certified Fresh Movies

Movies at Home

• Fandango at Home
• Prime Video
• Most Popular Streaming Movies
• What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

• 74% Blink Twice Link to Blink Twice
• 95% Strange Darling Link to Strange Darling
• 86% Between the Temples Link to Between the Temples

New TV Tonight

• 100% Slow Horses: Season 4
• 96% English Teacher: Season 1
• -- The Perfect Couple: Season 1
• -- Tell Me Lies: Season 2
• -- Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist: Season 1
• -- Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos: Season 1
• -- Outlast: Season 2
• -- The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives: Season 1
• -- Whose Line Is It Anyway?: Season 14

Most Popular TV on RT

• 72% Kaos: Season 1
• 84% The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: Season 2
• 92% Terminator Zero: Season 1
• 100% Dark Winds: Season 2
• 92% Bad Monkey: Season 1
• 95% Only Murders in the Building: Season 4
• Best TV Shows
• Most Popular TV

Certified fresh pick

• 96% English Teacher: Season 1 Link to English Teacher: Season 1
• All-Time Lists
• Binge Guide
• Comics on TV
• Five Favorite Films
• Video Interviews
• Weekend Box Office
• Weekly Ketchup
• What to Watch

Venice Film Festival 2024: Movie Scorecard

30 Most Popular Movies Right Now: What to Watch In Theaters and Streaming

What to Watch: In Theaters and On Streaming

Awards Tour

The 5 Most Anticipated TV or Streaming Shows of September

The 5 Most Anticipated Movies of September

• Trending on RT
• Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
• Top 10 Box Office
• Venice Film Festival
• Popular Series on Netflix

The Gambler Reviews

By the end, it's difficult to care about Jim as Wahlberg represents him.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Jul 13, 2022

Potentially gripping, but never generates enough tension...

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | May 27, 2021

Wants to be a philosophical look at life's big issues, using Bennett's fall from grace as a backdrop, but in the end delivers Hollywood cynicism.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Feb 2, 2021

Ultimately, it's an examination of addiction and the largely alienating effects this particular one imparts - the kind infrequently touched upon by mainstream cinema.

Full Review | Original Score: 7/10 | Dec 4, 2020

No matter how finely feathered the hair or slim and trim the figure, Wahlberg is simply one of the glossy mistakes Wyatt's film trips over.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | Sep 19, 2019

will leave you out of pocket and feeling cheated for watching

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Jun 5, 2019

Thanks to the presence of Goodman, Larson and Lange we're presented with a stacked deck, so how come it feels like we spend two hours holding the bridge rules card?

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | May 17, 2019

The dreamlike imagery, editing, and soundtrack invoke the haze of addiction, but the writing never follows through with the message, leaving us unstirred, with little to take home and think about.

Full Review | Original Score: 6/10 | Mar 20, 2019

The Gambler is a solidly acted and directed piece that somehow can't decide what kind of film it is

Full Review | Feb 23, 2019

THE GAMBLER doesn't amount too much, except a story of a walking existential crisis looking for his pacifier, which is conveniently located at a blackjack table.

Full Review | Original Score: C- | Dec 8, 2018

Wahlberg loses, and The Gambler craps out.

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/4 | Feb 16, 2018

Wahlberg is a miscast... [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 3/10 | Dec 13, 2017

You're just going to spend the two hours annoyed by all of the stupid decisions Bennett makes.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Dec 2, 2017

Directed by Rupert Wyatt (Rise of the Planet of the Apes), the film is glossy and shiny, giving it a superficial sheen that doesn't make any sense.

Full Review | Oct 17, 2017

Some casting decisions should never happen-Shaq as Tinkerbell-hmm... actually that might be fantastic, scratch that. But Mark Wahlberg as a professor of literature? Just no.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 11, 2016

'The Gambler' is just shy of a great movie - it doesn't quite add up like it should - but it is a reminder that there's a very fine actor lurking in Mark Wahlberg.

Full Review | Jun 7, 2016

This remake not only fails to justify its own existence, it very nearly calls into question the necessity of the material in any form.

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/5 | Apr 12, 2016

Watchable scene-to-scene as an old-fashioned character study.

Full Review | Original Score: C+ | Feb 25, 2016

Mark Wahlberg is intense and compelling... but his character's self-destructive behaviour strains the viewer's sympathy almost as much as it strains that of the people around him.

Full Review | Jun 27, 2015

A lame remake of the 1974 original, this Gamble doesn't pay off

Full Review | Jun 12, 2015

The 10 Best Dog Movies, Ranked

Your changes have been saved

Email is sent

Email has already been sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

Since the early days of Hollywood, cinematic canines like Rin-Tin-Tin, Lassie, and Old Yeller have established man's best friend as a major box office draw. Today, there is an endless list of notable films about heroic dogs and humorous pups, including Disney's 101 Dalmatians , Hachi: A Dog's Tale , and Turner & Hooch , that have become beloved classics among film fans.

While some of these movies tug at the heartstrings or leave audiences with a bittersweet rush of emotion, they're still a vital part of the movie-going experience that has a lasting impact on many. With family comedies like Beethoven and My Dog Skip and animated adventures such as Wes Anderson 's Isle of Dogs and All Dogs Go to Heaven , these are ten of the best dog movies of all time, ranked!

10 'All Dogs Go to Heaven' (1989)

Directed by don bluth.

Charlie ( Burt Reynolds ) is a canine casino owner who is killed by a vicious gambler, Carface ( Vic Tayback ), but when Charlie finds a way to return to Earth from Heaven, he decides to take his revenge on his killer. As Charlie begins to execute his plan with the help of a young orphan girl, Anne-Marie ( Judith Barsi ), Charlie starts growing fond of the little girl, forcing Charlie to choose between exacting his revenge or helping her find a better life.

Like most of Don Bluth 's films, All Dogs Go to Heaven has a bit of a darker tone than most animated films, but it's still a must-see dog movie, featuring an array of memorable characters voiced by noteworthy names, which also includes Dom DeLuise , Loni Anderson , and Ken Page . Initially, t he movie earned mixed reviews and wasn't a massive success, but through the years, All Dogs Go to Heaven has become a cult classic, noted by many for its heartfelt story and visually stunning animation.

All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989)

A canine angel, Charlie, sneaks back to earth from heaven but ends up befriending an orphan girl who can speak to animals. In the process, Charlie learns that friendship is the most heavenly gift of all.

Watch on Tubi

9 'Beethoven' (1992)

Directed by brian levant.

When a St. Bernard puppy sneaks into the Newton family's backyard, George Newton (Charles Grodin) isn't as keen on the new visitor as his wife, Alice (Bonnie Hunt) and kids. Reluctantly, George agrees to let the puppy, which they name Beethoven, stay, but as the small pet grows into a sizable dog, George becomes more frustrated with the destructive Beethoven, who seems to spoil everything for the patriarch.

The 1992 movie Beethoven is a hilarious family film that spawned a popular film franchise and was also co-written by John Hughes under the pseudonym, Edmond Dantés. Despite earning mixed reviews, Beethoven was a surprise success at the box office, raking in over one hundred and forty million dollars worldwide. The movie does have a few far-fetched and over-the-top moments, but all in all, Beethoven is an essential dog movie that is guaranteed to generate plenty of laughs for any movie-goer.

Rent on Amazon Prime

8 'Isle of Dogs' (2018)

Directed by wes anderson.

In Wes Anderson's clever stop-motion animated film, Isle of Dogs , there is an outbreak of dog flu, forcing all the canines in Megasaki City, Japan, to be sent to a garbage dump known as Trash Island, where they are forced to live in exile. When Atari ( Koyu Rankin ), decides to find his dog, Spots, he flies to the island and ends up meeting a pack of pups who all agree to help him find his beloved pet. The movie features the voice talents of notable stars, including Bryan Cranston , Bill Murray , and Scarlett Johansson .

Isle of Dogs is the epitome of the bond between a person and their canine companions, told through a unique spectrum of animation and immense detail with a political backdrop. The film is considered to be one of Anderson's boldest cinematic creations and was well-received by audiences and critics, including Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times , who called the film, "smart, different and sometimes deliberately odd." Despite the ominous premise of Isle of Dogs , audiences can be reassured that it's full of plenty of laughs that all lead to a more than satisfying ending in this one-of-a-kind dog movie.

Isle of Dogs

Set in Japan, Isle of Dogs follows a boy's odyssey in search of his lost dog.

Watch on Disney+

7 'Eight Below' (2006)

Directed by frank marshall.

Paul Walker stars as a guide for the National Science Foundation in Antarctica, Jerry Shepherd, who is asked to take a professor, Dr. Davis McClaren ( Bruce Greenwood ), out to collect fragments from a meteorite and, considering the icy weather conditions, the only way to travel is by sled dogs. When a storm forces the two to return to base camp, the weather becomes dangerous, forcing Shepherd to leave his dogs behind, but once back in the United States, he fights to get back to his pack and save them before it's too late.

Eight Below is a gut-wrenching but powerful survival film and a remake of the 1983 Japanese drama, Antarctica , which was inspired by the 1958 Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition. The movie features some highly emotional scenes and moments that are bound to make any viewer reach for the tissues, but Eight Below captures the immense loyalty and an unbreakable bond between a man and his dogs that is undeniable . Eight Below earned overall positive reviews and received three out of four stars from film critic, Roger Ebert , and is essentially an effective story about man's best friend.

Eight Below

6 'my dog skip' (2000), directed by jay russell.

Set in the 1940s, My Dog Skip stars Frankie Muniz as 9-year-old Willie Morris who receives a Smooth Fox Terrier puppy for his birthday and decides to name him Skip. As the bond between Willie and Skip grows, the pup begins to change various aspects of the boy's life, such as turning bullies into allies and even gaining the affection of the prettiest girl in school, changing both of their lives for the better.

My Dog Skip is a crucial canine flick that centers around the love between a boy and a dog and also stars Diane Lane , Kevin Bacon , and Luke Wilson . Based on the 1995 memoir by Morris, My Dog Skip is a timeless tale about how a furry friend can help a child grow, break free from their shell, and ultimately realize the power that lies deep within them . While the ending is inevitable and Willie must say goodbye to Skip, it ends on a hopeful note of gratitude and genuine appreciation for a special four-legged friend.

My Dog Skip

5 '101 dalmatians' (1961), directed by wolfgang reitherman, clyde geronimi, and hamilton luske.

When an aspiring songwriter, Roger ( Ben Wright ), and his dalmatian, Pongo ( Rod Taylor ) cross paths with a lovely woman, Anita ( Lisa Davis ), and her dalmatian, Perdita ( Cate Bauer ), it's love at first sight and Roger and Anita marry, ultimately bringing Pongo and Perdita together. When the dogs become proud parents of fifteen puppies, Antia's former fur-obsessed friend, Cruella De Vil ( Betty Lou Gerson ), offers to pay her for the puppies to use their fur, but Anita and Roger adamantly refuse, forcing DeVille to steal them.

Walt Disney's canine classic, 101 Dalmatians , is a beloved animated feature film based on the 1956 novel by the same name written by Dodie Smith . The film is encased in Disney's traditional frame of love between a family as well as the canine companion and was praised for its creative efforts and, as always, marvelous animation. While the Dalmatians are the focus of the film, Cruella De Vil is considered to be one of Disney's most intricate and clever villains and with a catchy sinister tune to go with her, it's easy to see why she remains at the forefront as one of Disney's most hated characters .

101 Dalmatians

The story of a family of Dalmatian puppies who are kidnapped by a terrible woman called Cruella De Vil, who is fascinated by fur coats and is determined to turn them into a coat.

4 'A Dog's Purpose' (2017)

Directed by lasse hallström.

Josh Gad provides the voice of a dog who wonders about the purpose of his existence and, in 1961, he is rescued by his first owner, Ethan Montgomery, a 9-year-old boy who loves him unconditionally for his entire life. When the dog dies, he is reincarnated each time and through the years, he bonds with a new owner and finally learns about the true meaning of his existence.

A Dog's Purpose is an intriguing take on the world from the perspective of a dog, giving audiences a touching glimpse into the influence and impact a dog can have on so many different lives. Even though the movie received mixed to negative reviews, it's impossible not to praise A Dog's Purpose and its sentimental value, heightened by a stunning musical score composed by Rachel Portman . Despite not being an everyday dog movie, A Dog's Purpose is still worth watching if not for the formula but for the heartwarming message it effortlessly conveys .

A Dog's Purpose

3 'turner & hooch' (1989), directed by roger spottiswoode.

Tom Hanks stars in Turner & Hooch as a by-the-book police detective, Scott Turner, who is preparing to be transferred from his small coastal California town to the big city where he can fight real crime. When a friend of Turner's, Amos Reed (J ohn McIntire ), is found murdered under mysterious circumstances, Turner is given custody of Amos' French Mastiff, Hooch, who is the only witness to the crime.

While the movie is both humorous and heartbreaking, Turner & Hooch is without question a quintessential dog movie that everyone should see at least once in their lifetime. The film is essentially a canine twist on a dynamic similar to The Odd Couple, resulting in hilarious shenanigans and a relationship that mixes as well as water and vinegar, but through patience and understanding, it eventually finds its blend . The movie was a hit at the box office and aside from a few mixed reviews, Turner & Hooch was well received by audiences and critics, making it a top-tier canine classic.

Turner & Hooch

2 'marley & me' (2008), directed by david frankel.

Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston star in Marley & Me as newlyweds, John and Jenny Grogan, who decide to adopt a yellow labrador puppy who they name Marley. As the couple go through the stages of life such as kids, moving, and major milestones, Marley is there for every single one, ensuring there's never a dull moment for the Grogan family.

Warning: Marley & Me will require plenty of tissues and potentially a dog (or several) in proximity for cuddles because this is one movie ending that will start the waterworks. The movie is based on the 2005 memoir by the same name written by John Grogan and also stars Kathleen Turner , Alan Arkin , and Ann Dowd . Aside from an ending that will make anyone an emotional mess, Marley & Me captures the ups and downs, humor, and overall experience of having a dog in your life as well as the everlasting paw print they leave on your heart forever .

Marley & Me (2008)

1 'hachi: a dog's tale' (2009), directed by lasse hollström.

When a professor, Parker Wilson ( Richard Gere ) finds a young dog abandoned at the train station, he takes him in just temporarily. As time passes and no one comes to claim the dog, he and his wife, Cate ( Joan Allen ) begin to warm up the Akita dog, named Hachi, who soon becomes part of the family. Wilson and Hachi eventually develop a routine that involves Hachi waiting for his owner every day at the train station to greet him and walking home with him, proving to be the utter symbol of loyalty.

Hachi: A Dog's Tale is a remake of the 1987 Japanese film, Hachikō Monogatari, and based on the true story of an Akita dog named Hachikō. The movie earned positive reviews from critics, including Christopher Lloyd of the Sarasota Herald Tribune , who gave the movie three out of four stars, stating that it is "unapologetically a tearjerker." Hachi: A Dog's Tale is another bittersweet rendition of a loyal companion who teaches others about the true meaning of love and loyalty, which continues to be passed down through his incredible story that is still celebrated today .

KEEP READING: 17 Sad Movies That Will Make Want to Hug Your Dog

The Best Wyatt Earp Movie Is (Mostly) Historically Accurate

Your changes have been saved

Email is sent

Email has already been sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

Few figures from the Age of the Old West are adored more than Wyatt Earp. The legendary frontiersman was a criminal’s biggest nightmare, and he is best remembered for the gunfight at the O.K. Corral against the Clanton and McLowry brothers . Apart from maintaining law and order in the regions of Kansas and Arizona, Earp had many other talents. It is reported that at various stages of his life, he served as an itinerant saloonkeeper, a professional gambler, and a security guard, among other occupations.

Over the years, Earp has been the subject of several movies and television shows , which have boosted his standing as the toughest and most skilled gunman of his day. Thanks to his reputation, he has also become the prototype for the fictional Old West lawman, with many Western movie crimefighters crafted in his image and mannerisms.

From Wild Bill Hickok to My Darling Clementine , there is no shortage of Wyatt Earp movies to consume. However, detractors have consistently pointed out that most films about the celebrated lawman rely on rumors rather than facts . Well, the same cannot be said of Tombstone, a spellbinding tale that easily merits its near-universal recognition as a coup de maître and a classic.

Not available

Tombstone Covers the Most Famous Moments of Wyatt Earp’s Life

As poignant now as when it came out, Tombstone presents Arizona’s extraordinary naturalistic beauty in counterpoint to the barbarity of its outlaws. It isn’t a straight biopic . It rides on the one-last-job trope. We see that Earp (Kurt Russel) is looking to hang up his boots and settle for a life of tranquility only for bandits to disturb his peace.

The film begins in 1879 when members of a gang known as The Cowboys (led by "Curly Bill" Brocius) raid a Mexican town and interrupt a police officer’s wedding reception. They then massacre all other lawmen as revenge for the deaths of two of their fellow criminals. Shortly before they kill a priest, he warns them that they will face judgment day for their sins. He then references the biblical Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse. That’s where Earp comes in.

Now retired, Earp, together with his brothers Virgil and Morgan, heads to Tombstone to settle down. There they meet Earp's long-time friend, Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer), who is also looking to live in the same town because he suffers from tuberculosis and the area’s dry climate is ideal for managing his condition. Soon, The Cowboys arrive and begin murdering everyone who doesn’t bend to their maniacal will. Events quickly spiral out of control, resulting in a gunfight at the O.K. Corral, in which the notorious Billy Clanton and the McLaury brothers are shot dead.

The First Western to Win Best Picture Aged Poorly

Universally acclaimed upon release, Cimarron has taken quite the fall from grace in the last 90 years.

Quick retaliation follows the shooting. Morgan gets killed, while Virgil gets wounded and is left handicapped. Feeling defeated, Earp and his family leave Tombstone on a train but are followed by the gangsters. He easily deals with the pursuers before forming a new posse that also includes Doc. Earp later kills Curly Bill, only for his lackey, Johnny Ringo, to take over as the new head of The Cowboys.

Thankfully, Doc’s worsening health seems to have endowed him with unusual poise and resilience. He easily battles conditions that would wilt healthy individuals, and in the end, he manages to kill Ringo by himself. The movie ultimately ends with Doc being admitted to a sanatorium in Colorado, where he succumbs to his illness.

Tombstone Mostly Sticks to the Facts

Tombstone — arguably the best Western of the ‘90s — marks the creative highpoint of one of Hollywood's most inspiring partnerships: Director George P. Cosmatos (famous for Rambo First Blood: Part II and Cobra ) and head writer Kevin Jarre. The duo exercises a few creative liberties, but unlike other studio takes on the tale, they stick to real-life happenings, crafting an intelligent, enthralling re-enactment of the historical O.K. Corral gunfight, while including many great human stories that preceded or followed the confrontation.

Much of the dialogue — like when Val Kilmer’s Doc Holiday says " You're a daisy if you do " — is plucked from actual newspaper reports . Other elements stand out too. Take the scene where Bill misses Earp a shocking three times at point-blank range before the lawman dismantles his body with a shotgun.

Undoubtedly one of the movie’s most dramatic moments, the sequence sees Wyatt Earp charging directly into Curly Bill's line of fire, and by watching, it is easy to conclude that there is no way shots would fail to hit the target like that, especially shots fired by a notorious outlaw. However, this is no Hollywood invention. In the real story, a member of The Cowboys, Johnny Barnes, briefly survived the shootout before dying a short while later while tending to his injuries in a nearby farmhouse . Before dying, he narrated the story of Earp's miraculous feat.

The shootout at the O.K. Corral also plays out exactly as described in courtroom proceedings . On top of that, The Clantons and the McLaurys were indeed deadly rivals of Earp and his men.

Where Were the Spaghetti Westerns Filmed?

Apart from Italy, Spaghetti Westerns were filmed on location and in studios in Spain.

In the audio commentary for the movie’s DVD release, we learn that director George P. Cosmatos’ commitment to authenticity extended to him crafting props , costumes, and scenery, the way they were. Additionally, all the mustaches were real, except for Jon Tenney's Sheriff Behan, who had shaved for an earlier project, so he had to wear fake facial hair.

Val Kilmer truly savored the role of Doc, delivering a radiantly intense, even terrifying performance not far removed from his real-world persona. He is said to have practiced a genteel Southern accent for months to ensure he sounded exactly like someone from the era and area .

Why Tombstone is the Best Wyatt Earp Movie

It’s worth remembering that a mere six months after Tombstone premiered , Wyatt Earp , starring Kevin Costner, was released . The newer version of the same tale impressed neither fans nor critics.

With a running time of over three hours, it was criticized for being too long and not offering anything worth discussing. Consequently, it performed dismally at the box office and appeared in many “worst movies of the year” lists. Even Costner, who normally impresses, got a Razzie nomination for his work.

Kevin Costner Directed the Greatest Modern Western Shootout

Kevin Costner's "Open Range" includes one of the most intense shootout scenes ever included in a Western. Here's how Costner made it happen.

Wyatt Earp isn’t the only Wyatt Earp movie that Tombstone strangled to submission. Except for My Darling Clementine , every other film about the lawman ranks lower on IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes, including 1923’s Wild Bill Hickok , which was made when Earp was still alive and opened the floodgates for more flicks of the same kind to come out.

Arguments can thus be made about My Darling Clementine being the better movie because critics loved it more. However, Tombstone still beats it in the most important area: accuracy . My Darling Clementine is adapted from the biography Wyatt Earp: Frontier Marshal by Stuart Lake (written in collaboration with Earp himself), as were a few other movies about the lawman. According to History.com , most authors and researchers haven't found any proof of the stories documented in the biography . It is now considered imaginative, and the consensus is that Earp cooked up stories to make himself look cooler than he was.

Given these circumstances, the crown for the best Wyatt Earp movie goes to Tombstone.

• Movie Lists

‘The Wasp’ Review: Naomie Harris and Natalie Dormer Play Old Friends With Fresh Grievances

Director Guillem Morales tries to trick the audience with too many plot twists, but winds up diluting the effectiveness of his thriller.

By Murtada Elfadl

Murtada Elfadl

• ‘The Wasp’ Review: Naomie Harris and Natalie Dormer Play Old Friends With Fresh Grievances 4 days ago
• ‘Know Your Place’ Review: A Beguiling but Uneven Portrait of an Eriterian American Family in Seattle 3 weeks ago
• ‘Dreams in Nightmares’ Review: A Subversive Take on the Road Movie 4 weeks ago

Early on in “The Wasp,” Naomie Harris provides an elaborate description of tarantula hawks, a species of spiders that feeds on other tarantulas. They paralyze their prey before eating them alive. It’s a gruesome idea that writer-director Guillem Morales clearly intends to circle back around to in his twisty two-hander, which stars Natalie Dormer and Harris as two former friends embroiled in a cat-and-mouse game of violence and intimidation. Unfortunately, Harris’ monologue marks the highlight of the film. None of the plot swerves — and there are far too many of them — manage to reach that apex of encroaching dread.

Related Stories

Can Today’s Tech Touchstones Solve Hollywood’s Loneliness Epidemic?

Rúnar Rúnarsson's Toronto-Bound Icelandic Movie 'When the Light Breaks' Set for Theatrical Distribution Nearly Worldwide (EXCLUSIVE)

Popular on variety.

As the plot gets more gimmicky, Harris’ performance gets weaker. She teases out the psychology of a woman crumbling under unmet expectations who is also unsupported by her husband. But as the plot contorts Heather into histrionics, Harris cannot bring enough credibility to the character. Meanwhile, Dormer goes in the other direction. She starts as a stereotype of a working-class complainer, but keeps adding complex shades to the character as the film goes on, subtly revealing the pain behind the anger. Both actresses could have benefitted from a screenplay that prioritized character over trying to bewilder audiences for cheap thrills. 

Morales, who directed many episodes of the morbidly humorous British TV anthology series “Inside No. 9,” should have tried to bring more of that dark wit to this film. Here there are too many schematic storylines, not enough playfulness. Morales wisely relies on his two lead actors to bring taut vitality to the proceedings. However, as he keeps putting in many circular scenes that don’t differ much from each other, the intensity of their performances starts to feel inconsistent. 

“The Wasp” had the potential to pay off that early promise, but in relying too much on tricking the audience, it loses the narrative thread and leaves its capable cast stranded. This is a case of a screenplay that pushes too hard toward shrewd reveals but loses its way and ends somewhere between dubious and improbable.

Reviewed online, Aug. 28, 2024. In Tribeca Film Festival. Running time: 95 MIN.

• Production: (U.K.) A Shout! Studios release of an XYZ Films presentation of a Royal Viking, Paradise City, Tea Shop production, in association with IPR.VC, Shout! Studios. Producers: Leonara Darby, James Harris, Sean Sorensen, Matthew B. Schmidt, Maxime Cottray, Nate Bolotin. Executive Producers: Jordan Fields, Julie Dankser, Mark Lane, Dean Buchanan, Ali Jazayeri, David Gendron, Naomie Harris, Natalie Dormer, Nick Spicer, Aram Tertzakian.
• Crew: Director: Guillem Morales. Screenplay: Morgan Lloyd Maclolm, based on the play by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm. Camera: John Sorapure. Editors: Joe Randall-Cutler, Ryan Morrison. Music: Adam Janota Bzowski.
• With: Naomie Harris, Natalie Dormer, Dominic Allburn, Leah Mondesir-Simmonds, Olivia Juno-Cleverley.

More from Variety

‘Vermiglio’ Review: A Grave and Gorgeous Hymn to Life and Death in a Midcentury Italian Alpine Village

Dissatisfied With Its Rate of Erosion, DVD Biz Fast-Forwards 2024 Decline

‘September 5’ Review: Taut Media-Critical Control-Room Drama Reveals How a Hostage Crisis Forever Changed TV News

‘Wolfs’ Review: George Clooney and Brad Pitt Are Rival Fixers in a Winning Action Comedy Spiked With Movie-Star Chemistry

‘Star Wars Outlaws’: Disney Tests Gamers’ Appetite for Hollywood IP

‘Why War’ Review: Amos Gitai’s Rumination on Conflict Lacks Specificity

More from our brands, mj lenderman delivers a sad-guy indie-rock gem with ‘manning fireworks’.

7 Stellar Shirt Brands Every Stylish Guy Should Know

Turf Wars: Each NFL Team Has Its Own Multimillion-Dollar Calculus

The Best Loofahs and Body Scrubbers, According to Dermatologists

HBO’s Green Lantern Series Offers Josh Brolin the Hal Jordan Role (Report)