Ballad of a Small Player

Movie Name: Ballad of a Small Player
Year of Release: 2025
Director: Edward Berger
Starring: Colin Farrell, Fala Chen, Tilda Swinton, Deanie Ip, Alex Jennings, Jason Tobin, Alan K. Chang, Anthony Chau-Sang Wong 
Genre: Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
Watch it on Netflix

Synopsis and Review

Following the critical acclaim and multiple awards consideration (and wins) for "All Quiet on the Western Front" and "Conclave", director Edward Berger is back, this time collaborating with screenwriter Rowan Joffe (who has previously written "28 Weeks Later" and "The American"), who has adapted Lawrence Osborne's novel. The narrative focuses on Lord Doyle, an inveterate gambler who is in Macau, following a series of stints in other gambling capitals of the world. He's been on a consistent losing streak, and finds himself strapped for money, with creditors getting closer and closer. The hotel gives him a few days to settle his bills, otherwise they'll call the police. Having run through most of the casinos in Macau, one of the doormen suggests he goes to The Rainbow, as they may give him credit there. He meets Dao Ming at that casino, a credit broker, who does volunteer credit for his continued gambling. They strike an unexpected bond and friendly relationship, and Dao explains to Lord Doyle all about the Ghost Festival that is taking place in the area, including its symbolism. While Dao is very jaded about gamblers, Doyle believes he's just one winning streak away from turning life around. Lord Doyle is photographed by a woman on an elevator and he follows her to ask for that photo to be deleted. As it turns out, the woman named Cynthia Blithe is in reality an investigator who has been sent to track his location. Lord Doyle is a fake name for what turns out to be Brendan Reilly, an Irish financier, who embezzled millions from one of his clients. Doyle/Reilly manages to convince Cynthia to give him another day before exposing him and his current location. While he does try to get some money back from other people who owe him as well, he eventually finds himself in an alley without escape. He goes to a hotel and gorges himself, and just as he is about to pass out with what he thinks is a heart attack, Dao appears, and rescues him. When he reawakens, he finds himself on a floating home on Lamma Island, with Dao taking care of him. They confide in each other, and realize how similar they are. Doyle/Reilly just wants that last opportunity, and he knows that the tide will turn. When he can't locate Dao, he decides to go ahead using money she had left behind. 

While this film touches upon topics that are not new, and there's been plenty of films tackling the topic of gambling, including Karel Reisz's "The Gambler" and its remake with the same title by Rupert Wyatt, Edward Berger's take on the material is definitely something worth paying close attention to. The director expertly illustrates the glossiness of living out loud, without money woes, in one of the most polished gambling capitals of the world, a reality that co-exists with the grittiness of the life for those who do not get to partake in those limitless fund types of lives. In this ecosystem of varied financial resources, this central character, one who tries so hard to embody a life he simply has never had, and doesn't even know he can live up to, is dropped, at literally the worst moment they're experiencing in their lives. Doyle/Reilly is indeed a small fish in a very big sea, one who is about to be eaten up by the biggest creatures that swim in a sea that they know far better than he ever will. Doyle/Reilly hasn't forgotten who he is, he hasn't sold his soul yet, but gambling is a demanding and damaging partner, and he's running out of steam. Edward Berger illustrates this franticness, this quest the character goes on, particularly as he gets surrounded more and more by obligations, by his own past crimes, and by the consequences of his own life choices. Dao is a savior, an angel, one that while dramatically not very expanded upon, does provide the path to redemption that Doyle/Reilly needs. And Cynthia is the jolt to accountability and a reality that Doyle/Reilly has chosen to distance himself from. It's a fascinating film, one that covers terrain that while not new, is nonetheless so vividly captured and performed that it's impossible not to enjoy this ride. The cast is stupendous, led by the wonderful Colin Farrell who again excels in this role, with great support from the formidable Tilda Swinton, Fala Chen, and the underrated Alex Jennings. The production team is impeccable, including the stunning cinematography from James Friend, score from Volker Bertelmann, production design from Jonathan Houlding, and costume design from Lisy Christl. It's a solid film worth watching. 

Vanishing on 7th Street

Movie Name: Vanishing on 7th Street
Year of Release: 2010
Director: Brad Anderson
Starring: Hayden Christensen, Thandie Newton, John Leguizamo, Jacob Latimore, Taylor Groothuis, Jordan Trovillion
Genre: Horror, Mystery
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

Director Brad Anderson made a name for himself in the late 90s with the Hope Davis starring independent film "Next Stop Wonderland", and since then has dabbled in independent films mixed with bigger budget ones, mixed with prestige television shows (amongst his films are "The Machinist" and "Beirut", and amongst his TV work are episodes of "Boardwalk Empire", "Fringe", and "Peacemaker"). "Vanishing on 7th Street" follows the story of a small group of characters, all in Detroit, who suddenly find themselves trapped in a situation beyond their control, and more so, one that is lethal and that wipes people out of existence without any explanation or reasoning. Paul is a projectionist who takes a break, and upon returning to the movie session he was overseeing, notices the power goes out, and when he gets out of the projection booth, there are no people in sight, just people's clothes on the floor. A security guard shows up, but he soon disappears as well, with only his clothes left behind. Rosemary, a nurse at a hospital, also notices people's disappearance, including ones that are in the operating table. She calls out for her child Manny in despair, since she fears for the worst. Luke Ryder is a TV reporter who wakes up in his apartment only to realize the power is out. He seeks out the woman he was with, but she's nowhere in sight. Upon leaving the building where he lives, he realizes all streets are empty and all caras are abandoned. There are people's clothes simply on the ground. He eventually makes it to the television station only to catch a live feed from Chicago informing people to always keep a light on themselves. A few days later as Luke is scavenging for batteries, he notices a young boy in a bar that is being powered by a portable generator. The boy, named James, states he is waiting for his mother who is at a church nearby, however Luke informs him that darkness has set in, and that no one seems to have survived. All these characters converge on the bar and Luke eventually suggests they all find a way to go to Chicago, based on the live feed he previously listened to. 

Brad Anderson's "Vanishing on 7th Street" came out in 2010 after a decade of independent films that garnered him consistent attention, even if none of those films ever became a breakout hit. "The Machinist" is well known for Christian Bale's transformative performance, while "Session 9" featured a great cast and has since become a cult horror film. One of the most successful aspects of "Vanishing on 7th Street" is the fact that it many ways it feels like an extended premise/concept from "Twilight Zone", similarly to some episodes of the show, never surrendering an explanation for what is happening, nor providing a happy ending type of scenario. The director smartly progressively discloses how this horrifying darkness is taking people away, but never volunteers an exact explanation for what it is, where its goal lies, its reasoning, and how far it has reached (there are hints, but nothing further). It makes for an unsettling scenario, one where he drops different characters, all of them confronting this new reality very differently. Luke, the reporter with a shattered personal life, is attempting to survive without tying himself to anyone, while Rosemary is haunted by guilt and fear that she failed to protect her child. Her need to help, is a path for redemption for what she thinks she has failed to do for her child. Paul is simply trying to outlive the situation, whereas the young James is fearful for his mother, and for the fact that he is alone in this new world. While these characters don't have much in terms of background, they are very similar to the characters one finds in zombie films, in the sense their motivation is of course to stay alive by avoiding this all encompassing darkness that surrounds them (in this particular case, literal darkness). This apparent straightforwardness of the script, darkness enveloping the world without explanation or reasoning, could have taken the events of the feature in many different directions (for instance, Fernando Meirelles' adaptation of Jose Saramago's "Blindness", tackled a scenario where a considerable amount of people in the world became blind, inexplicably, and how that changed relationships, dynamics, politics, etc.), however this script is modest in its ambition, and focuses on a survival point of view. And these characters want to survive more than anything, even more so than they want to understand what is happening. The film could have benefitted from a bit more character development, and also a bit more context development, but it does manage to be effective illustrating the growth of the darkness. The cast of the film is competent, the same going for the production team, particularly Uta Briesewitz's cinematography. It's a watchable and entertaining film.