BALLAD OF A SMALL PLAYER (NETFLIX) (2025)

SYNOPSIS: Lord Doyle (Colin Farrell) is laying low in Macau – spending his days and nights on the casino floors, drinking heavily and gambling what little money he has left. Struggling to keep up with his fast-rising debts, he is offered a lifeline by the mysterious Dao Ming (Fala Chen), a casino employee with secrets of her own. However, in hot pursuit is Cynthia Blithe (Tilda Swinton) – a private investigator ready to confront Doyle with what he is running from. As Doyle tries to climb to salvation, the confines of reality start to close in. 

MOVIE REVIEW:

We have never seen Macau looking this stunning before. Like a cross between a rainy Blade Runner and Total Recall, the aesthetic alone is breathless under the watchful eyes of cinematographer James Friend (All Quiet on the Western Front).

From Oscar-nominated director Edward Berger (Conclave) and based on the novel by Lawrence Osborne, Ballad of a Small Player stars Colin Farrell as Lord Doyle, a compulsive gambler who spends his nights in casinos and his days sleeping and binge-eating in his suite. He is heavily in debt, has run out of money and has only days left to pay his hotel bills before he gets thrown out.

Making his predicament worse, private investigator Betty Grayson (Tilda Swinton) is hot on his heels. Apparently, Lord Doyle is no lord at all. He has embezzled a huge sum of money from his clients, and Grayson is tasked with recovering it. Fortunately for him, a casino employee, Dao Ming (Fala Chen), offers him credit to tide things over.

We can safely conclude Ballad of a Small Player is very different from Leaving Las Vegas, even though both feature a manic-depressive protagonist and a neon-drenched casino-driven location. Ballad is a morality tale that touches on gambling addiction, self-destruction, the road to redemption, and even a tinge of the supernatural. It’s a slow burn, no doubt but Berger and screenwriter Rowan Joffe manage to keep things spiralling, uncomfortable and twisty.

Are we supposed to root for Doyle’s victory at the gambling tables? Or are we anticipating his well-deserved death from a heart attack, given his frequent near-death experiences?

Farrell gives it his all as a man tortured by his self-inflicted crimes. Watching him and his “lucky” yellow gloves at the baccarat tables each time only heightens the tension. Seeing him binge on gourmet food alone in his suite further complicates our empathy for him. Again, is this morally corrupted man truly worth saving?

There’s also a very nice thematic touch that Asian audiences will especially appreciate. The story is set during the Hungry Ghost Festival, with mentions of hungry ghosts driven by greed. It’s an obvious nod to Doyle’s character and subtly foreshadows what awaits him easily one of the best cultural incorporations by a non-Asian writer.

Besides Farrell, Fala Chen surprises as the sympathetic Dao Ming, a woman hoping to reconcile with her estranged family. Swinton’s Grayson feels a bit out of place, a campy investigator who seems more at home in a Wes Anderson piece. Hong Kong veterans like Deanie Yip and Anthony Wong deliver impressive cameos.

Of course, Ballad of a Small Player will not be to everyone’s taste. It looks visually stunning and boasts excellent performances all around but its deliberate pacing and intense character study may not appeal to general audiences.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee