Film Reviews & Movie Analysis

Colin Farrell gives it his all in Edward Berger’s neon-soaked gamble that never quite pays off.

When the debts start piling up and his past comes knocking, a gambling addict teeters on the edge of death and goes for one last spin.

Edward Berger’s psychedelic-neon mythological dream is leaps and bounds away from his Oscar-nominated Conclave (2024). Despite its attempts to dazzle us with bright colours and the built-in tension that gambling induces in an audience, the film itself has little substance. It brushes on identity, greed, escapism, mythology and self-destruction but never commits to exploring any of them with real depth.

In a few scenes Farrell looks in the mirror and sees his neck stretching and his mouth widening, exposing a fathomless pit. He embodies the Chinese folklore of The Hungry Ghost. This fantastical tone starts late and finishes early which leaves a taste of dissatisfaction to an already middling movie.

Colin Farrell does what he can with the role: the physical shift of his character depending on whether he’s on a winning or losing streak is impressive. His pallor greying, sweat dripping from his brow, the permeating odour of desperation, his clothes going from crisp to creased as he sinks further into this self-made pit – his performance with these touches anchor the film even when the script falters.

This movie is fine. Ironically, it takes few risks, resulting in a shocking lack of tension through a film that should have it in spades. It chooses a safe bet with its storyline rather than going all-in on the mythological/magical-realism elements it teases.

Watched during BFI London Film Festival 2025