Although the late, great James Caan delivered iconic performances as Sonny Corleone in The Godfather and Frank in Heat, the single best role of his career may have been as the struggling English professor Axel Freed in the brilliant thriller The Gambler. Based on the novel of the same name by Fyodor Dostoevsky, the film explored gambling as a legitimate addiction issue and allowed Caan to sink his teeth into one of the most despicable anti-heroes in screen history. Living up to such a beloved classic was always going to be a difficult task, but director Rupert Wyatt took it upon himself to reimagine the story of The Gambler by placing it within a modern context. The remake of The Gambler was able to differentiate itself from its predecessor thanks to a surprisingly brilliant performance by Mark Wahlberg, who delivers one of the most captivating and surprisingly earnest roles of his entire career.
What Is ‘The Gambler’ About?

Wahlberg stars in The Gambler as the troubled English professor Jim Bennett, who suffers from similar gambling addiction issues as Caan’s character does in the original. However, Bennett proves to be an equally complex character because of his inability to accept the status quo; due to the fact that he is often bored by the superficiality of modern education, Bennett stacks the odds against himself in order to risk self-destruction. This path of anarchy quickly proves to be unsustainable, as a blackjack game gone awry puts Bennett in a serious amount of debt to the powerful proprietor Lee (Alvin Ing), as well as the ruthless loan shark Neville Baraka (Michael K. Williams). Although Bennett attempts to ask his mother, Roberta (Jessica Lange), for assistance, he discovers that the hostility he has shown to everyone in his life has given him no one to rely on when he needs help the most. Ironically, it is at this low point in Bennett’s life that he finally has something to fight for, as he begins to share a deep connection with his brilliant student Amy Phillips (Brie Larson).

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“One of us is in deep trouble.”

The Gambler utilizes Wahlberg’s inherent charisma but also complicates the perception that he often gives across in his other roles. While Bennett can meet anyone with a clever insult or quippy one-liner, it is revealed that all the confidence that he exudes is due to deep feelings of insecurity; he often lashes out at his students that don’t pay attention to his lectures about the authorship of William Shakespeare, as he does not understand how anyone can live life without wanting to win on every level that they can. As a result, Bennett treats everything as a competition and often appears to be too belligerent to be genuinely empathetic. It is to Wahlberg’s credit that he does not attempt to lionize Bennett’s behavior but does give him the capacity to change. It’s rather surprising that a character who appears so callous in the opening moments is able to transition into a hero who is worth investing in by the time that the credits close.
​​​​​​‘The Gambler’ Is a Surprisingly Inventive Remake

The modern version of The Gambler makes several interesting changes to the original, as it does succeed in giving Bennett a genuinely redemptive arc. While the notion of a brooding anti-hero was relatively ahead of its time in 1974, audiences had already seen many similar characters in 2014 due to many prestige television shows like The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, The Shield, and Mad Men. However, showing a sensitive depiction of masculinity did make the remake a novelty, as the film’s final stretch focuses on Bennett’s attempts to apologize to Amy for wrecking her life.
The Gambler is clever in its ambiguity, as it leaves many questions open-ended about the different villains that Bennett has faced. Although it ultimately suggests that Bennett is on a better path, it does not imply that he has gotten rid of all of his issues overnight. Too many modern remakes attempt to simply replicate iconic scenes and do not engage with the thematic core of what they are adapting. Thankfully, The Gambler does not seek to replicate the original but rather serves as a compelling companion piece.
The Gambler is streaming on Paramount Plus in the U.S.

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Release Date

November 10, 2014

Director

Rupert Wyatt

Runtime

111minutes

Watch on Paramount Plus