Picture: Netflix
From Good Chaos, Nine Hours, and Stigma Films, Ballad of a Small Player is the eagerly awaited follow-up for Oscar-nominated writer/director Edward Berger, following his back-to-back awards season-contending films, 2022’s Netflix original All Quiet on the Western Front & last year’s Best Adapted Screenplay winner Conclave. With expectations of being back in the awards conversation again this year, the film made its debut at two of the most prestigious film festivals, Telluride & Toronto International, ahead of its extremely limited theatrical release in the U.S., U.K., & Ireland.
Based on the 2014 novel of the same name by Lawrence Osborne, the story centers on Lord Doyle (Colin Farrell), a high-stakes gambler and con man, who’s hiding out in Macau after stealing money from an old woman back in England. He spends his days and nights on the various casino floors, drinking, smoking, & playing baccarat while his debts rise to unsustainable numbers.
As the reality of those debts set in and final deadlines for repayment are made, Doyle encounters another obstacle in the form of private investigator Cynthia Blithe (Tilda Swinton), who’s tracked Doyle down after he faked his death in Manila as she seeks to reclaim the money he stole back in England. With his life on the line, Doyle’s desperation lands him in the care of mysterious casino employee Dao Ming (Fala Chen), who gives him a lifeline to clear his debts and save the remainder of his battered soul. But can Doyle turn his luck – and his life – around before it’s too late?
Picture: Netflix
The short answer is … I guess?
The longer answer is: I guess? But does it matter? Do we only care because it’s Colin Farrell making Faustian bargains and attempting something better?
Unlike his adaptations of Conclave & All Quiet on the Western Front, director Edward Berger & screenwriter Rowan Joffe seem to lose something in the process of bringing Osborne’s novel to life; a novel that was praised for its setting, details, & the seedy gambler milieu that thrives on subtlety, atmosphere, & suspense.
Berger & Joffe, combined with the always impressive presence of Farrell, make a more stylish, yet emotionally flattened version of Lord Doyle’s battles against his own self-destructive nature. At 100 minutes, the story wastes no time getting to the heart of Doyle’s problems with addiction, excess, & ego, but it hardly adds more depth and character beyond the basics. His skills as a con or a gambler are limited at best, his redemption arc pales in comparison to those who actually help him, and it’s unclear if any of it will matter past the credits. The film tries to paint Doyle as a person not ruthless or shameless enough to live the life he’s leading, but his actions speak louder than the few words said to him by mostly crooks & gamblers.
For me, the film hinges on the effectiveness of one relationship, one concept, and one sequence: Dao Ming, the “hungry ghosts”, and their time at the island home. Dao Ming’s help is everything to Doyle and the film itself. To believe in her story and her motives is to believe in Doyle’s redemption. She hopes and aids in Doyle because she wants to spare him from her own demise; the Hungry Ghosts of Buddhist hell, who consume and consume but are never satisfied, are holding a seat for him at the table. If her feelings, Doyle’s answers to her test, and her interventions emotionally resonate with you, maybe the film’s story can be redeemed for you as well.
The problem for me is that Dao Ming’s justifications don’t sell me his character. His justifications for his behavior and limited vision for his future, mixed with an unsympathetic backstory, don’t measure up to her belief in him. While their relationship and the more subtle & slower scenes do make for most of the charm of the film, the lack of conviction in the outcome of the protagonist’s arc is a problem that doesn’t feel solved by the film’s finale.
Picture: Netflix
The tough part is to deny the craftsmanship surrounding the story. Berger & his award-winning cinematographer James Friend’s beautiful compositions & wildly moving camera mixed with the neon-soaked exteriors of the gorgeous Macau cityscapes are visually striking and wake up the senses when the script fails to grip. Oscar winning composer Volker Bertelmann (All Quiet on the Western Front, A House of Dynamite) does some very heavy lifting with another bold & punchy score that generates a propulsion the film desperately needed, especially in the final act.
But, overall, Ballad of a Small Player comes up short in the wake of the mammoth success of Berger’s most recent films. Style over substance, the film gives us nothing new in the struggles of the addicted gambler with a bottomless need to feel something and be something more. However, with its incredibly talented crew and occasional moments of tenderness & mysticism, the film can provide a baseline of keeping you on the hook. Unfortunately, much like the Hungry Ghosts illuminated in the story, the decadence will not leave you satisfied.
Watch Ballad of a Small Player If You Liked
- The Gambler (1974)
- In Bruges
- Conclave
- The Forgiven (2021)
MVP of Ballad of a Small Player
Fala Chen as Dao Ming
Starting with her American crossover in 2020 with HBO’s The Undoing, Fala Chen has been breaking out slowly over the past 5 years with roles in major blockbusters like Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings & Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. With Ballad of a Small Player, Chen makes the most of her scenes by being the emotional fulcrum in which the film’s story hinges, selling her connection with Lord Doyle and giving us a reason to care about his future. If you enjoyed this movie on any level, you have her to thank.
Ballad of a Small Player gives Colin Farrell a large canvas to work on, but the story doesn’t give enough emotional resonance to impact its audience. Don’t bet on being haunted by this one.
