The Gambler (2014)

Saw a trailer for this Mark Wahlberg movie scheduled for release in mid-December. The film is a remake of the 1974 drama with James Caan.

As with so many trailers nowadays, it pretty much tells the whole story. There are scenes of Wahlberg playing roulette, and of course winning a huge amount (curiously, betting and being paid by the Croupier with rectangular plaques), then putting it all on a color for "one last bet".

The most amazing thing about this movie, based just on the trailer, is John Goodman. He played Roseanne Barr' s husband many years ago, and in this movie has been cast against his generally warm, "teddy bear" character, to play a scary, Jabba the Hut meets Apocolypse Now Marlon Brando loan shark. Just based on the trailer, I am predicting an Oscar nomination for him.

I'll be curious amongst other things to see the setting ... will it still be NYC?

One of my favorite movie gambling scenes
Premium Rush
Dirty cop gambling Pai Gow tiles in Chinatown. Losing big and now owes the house.
They are not extending credit and point him to the loan shark if he wants to play more.
He gets a loan from the shylock but instead of paying back the house to play more, he goes accross the street at a different gambling den and makes 1 big bet, again pai gow tiles.
He loses.
Hillarious.

Quote: Ayecarumba

Saw a trailer for this Mark Wahlberg movie scheduled for release in mid-December. The film is a remake of the 1974 drama with James Caan.

As with so many trailers nowadays, it pretty much tells the whole story. There are scenes of Wahlberg playing roulette, and of course winning a huge amount (curiously, betting and being paid by the Croupier with rectangular plaques), then putting it all on a color for "one last bet".

The most amazing thing about this movie, based just on the trailer, is John Goodman. He played Roseanne Barr' s husband many years ago, and in this movie has been cast against his generally warm, "teddy bear" character, to play a scary, Jabba the Hut meets Apocolypse Now Marlon Brando loan shark. Just based on the trailer, I am predicting an Oscar nomination for him.

Goodman played the same type shark, perhaps even worse in "The Runner". Great underrated gambling movie by the way, IMO.

I tend to find all these gambling movies blur ... I think the one under discussion is the one which ends with the Gambler winning over a black pimp but losing due to his encounter with the hooker's strait edge. Though I thought that was in Los Angeles. Not sure.

I wonder about remakes. What do you ... change the locale and update the rental vehicles. Change a call from a dime to phone card or something. Change the team from the Brooklyn Dodgers to the LA Dodgers? Throw in a recent movie marquee in some street scene or a newsstand with a recent headline ... all to show the action takes place in the Here rather than in History?

Different actors? Heck... how many ways are there to say " leave the gun, take the canoli "? It gonna sound different is a 2006 Caddy than a 1947 Packard?

The modern audience too good to watch an oldie? Or the modern audience so special you gotta polish something up for them?

This movie did not need to be remade - the original was excellent

The original was good right up until the end when it became a stereotypical blaxploitation movie. Complete with "Huggy Bear" playing a pimp. The last 10 minutes disgusted me.

My friends and I saw the new version with John Goodman in it. I think John played his part the best as compared to Mark and the others.

It was hard to watch a degenerate gambler make bets and decisions in the manner he did. Doubling down on a 2 card hard 18? I cringed !

I rated it a 6 on a scale of 10 and that had much to do with the subject matter. I don't recommend it unless you like the actors in it.

Quote: zrxmax

My friends and I saw the new version with John Goodman in it. I think John played his part the best as compared to Mark and the others.

It was hard to watch a degenerate gambler make bets and decisions in the manner he did. Doubling down on a 2 card hard 18? I cringed !

I rated it a 6 on a scale of 10 and that had much to do with the subject matter. I don't recommend it unless you like the actors in it.

I also saw it this past weekend. I didn't think it was very good. It was OK, but I thought it had pretty weak character development between him and the student chick he meets. I also thought there were loose ends that the film didn't do a good job of addressing. And also, yes the doubling hard 18 bothered me a lot more than it should have haha. No one is that stupid....right? He also didn't double with a 9 against a 5 earlier in the movie! for shame!

Quote: FleaStiff

The modern audience too good to watch an oldie? Or the modern audience so special you gotta polish something up for them?

Modern theaters don't usually like to like to run 40 year old films. They tend to want to run new films (unless they're a second run theater, that starts running movies a week after they disappear from most of the other theaters).

The production house's customer is the distributor. The distributor's customer is the movie theater.

As for what changes are made, there are often plenty. Compare Sabrina (1954) with Sabrina (1995). They're both good films, the core story is the same, but there are definitely differences in dialogue and secondary details (instead of going to cooking school, Sabrina works for a fashion magazine and learns photography; I believe they changed the nature of the Larrabee business from (general industrial conglomerate) to telecommunications; they removed the character of old Mr. Larrabee entirely).

When I saw that wahlberg was going to be cast in this I dropped it from my must see list.

Quote: Asswhoopermcdaddy

When I saw that wahlberg was going to be cast in this I dropped it from my must see list.

You don't like Markey Mark? He's trying to get his record expunged in Massachusetts so he can be a reserve cop. Look up what this criminal did.

He beat up an Asian guy when he was young. He repented but I don't like him as an actor. He plays weird roles between light hearted and dead serious. Most actors are cast in playing a certain type. Hoffman or Nolte could have made this movie good. Instead we got the guy from Ted, The Big Hit, etc.

Give me an actor that can play a dark self destructive role.

Is this a take on the Dostoevsky book?

That would be giving this film too much credit.

Quote: 24Bingo

Is this a take on the Dostoevsky book?

Yes. I believe it is. As in the book, roulette plays a major role. However, I don't know if there is much beyond that. The main character is a college professor, not a soldier.

Quote: Ayecarumba

Yes. I believe it is. As in the book, roulette plays a major role. However, I don't know if there is much beyond that. The main character is a college professor, not a soldier.

It is supposed to be.

there is a thread for the '74 movie, which certainly is, and this is supposed to be remake of that.

https://wizardofvegas.com/forum/off-topic/off-topic/17412-the-gambler-1974-film/#post339009

Quote: Asswhoopermcdaddy

He beat up an Asian guy when he was young. He repented but I don't like him as an actor. .

A little more serious then that.
Took out the guys eye.

Quote: terapined

A little more serious then that.
Took out the guys eye.

It's also the things he said. You can read the police reports online. I'm all for second chances but it shouldn't be because someone has money.

I saw it over the weekend. I didn't like it. John Goodman's character was okay, though, and his little "F***k you" talk with Marky Mark was pretty good.

Quote: terapined

A little more serious then that.
Took out the guys eye.

so supposedly Marky Mark thought he had blinded the guy. but the guy was actually blinded from Vietnam

Someone tracked down the victim who is now full of forgiveness. What's the going price for forgiveness these days?

Quote: 1BB

Someone tracked down the victim who is now full of forgiveness. What's the going price for forgiveness these days?

Daily mail has the story and the interview.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2868589/Mark-Wahlberg-s-blinding-race-attack-victim-Johnny-Trinh-backs-bid-pardon-saying-course-forgive-didn-t-blind-Communist-Vietnamese-did-that.html

Quote: Wanderer

I saw it over the weekend. I didn't like it. John Goodman's character was okay, though, and his little "F***k you" talk with Marky Mark was pretty good.

"I will wipe out your whole bloodline."

About to see this movie - and yes, I've seen the original
Will review afterwards :-)



it is now afterwards:

Overall disappointing—nowhere near the original…I believe they tried to make it deeper than necessary with at least 3 rants by Marky Mark about the nature of people and the inherent genius of geniuses…there were only 3 real gambling scenes in the entire movie for a total of maybe 10 minutes…of course, the doubling hard 18 and getting a 3 was thrown in as an homage to the original…a couple of parts made me laugh but overall, disappointed…

Now, one of the reasons I rarely go to a movie theatre is the level of manners of the patrons. I would say everyone in the theatre was at least 30 years old. Guy and his "old lady" a few seats over and a row ahead were beyond immature. I cannot say it was the "old lady's" fault at all as her biker dude "old man" basically talked the entire movie when he wasn't groping her or trying to remove her tonsils with his tongue. He was overheard saying:

"I'm gonna make you wet for 6 years" (now, I am not sure if that is biologically possible but Danny Zuko he was not…hell, he wasn't even Kenicki!)
He then decided to announce basic strategy out loud for the approximately 8 hands of blackjack shown on screen (I did not listen closely enough to determine if he was actually shouting out the correct strategy)

If there is an Illuminati and they wish to reduce Earth's population, they can start with that idiot (and they every well might be as, it has been pouring rain here all day and he wondered aloud, while pouring whatever was in his flask into his XL soda, whether the rain will let up enough to get home on his "hog")*

*nothing above is a commentary on Harley enthusiasts, love a nice Harley—but this idiot was too much