The story begins in Macao, “the world’s gambling capital”. Viewers are offered an aerial tour of the neon-embellished city, dotted with sky-scrappers and with a flashing replica of the Eiffel Tower at its centre. It looks live Las Vegas on steroids. This is where Lord Doyle (Colin Farrell) is hiding from the British authorities, after swindling a sum of nearly £1 million pounds from a luxury business. He purchased a death certificate “for the price of a dinner” in neighbouring Manila, and feels like he’s been given a new lease of life.
Lord Doyle (whose real name is Reilly) does not enjoy his newfound existence for very long. His addiction to alcohol and gambling have quickly put him in debt with local casino owners, and he has been given three days to come up with a sum of more than £300,000. On top of that, British debt collector Betty (played by a curly-haired and bespectacled Tilda Swinton) has located him, and demands that he pays off the enormous amount of money that he stole. So Reilly begins to break down. He frequents restaurants he cannot afford and attempts a runner just before the bill arrives. Betty (whose real name is Cynthia) claims that he’s a delinquent “from head to toe”, an accolade which he first refuses and then eventually embraces.
Swiss director Edward Berger and DoP alternate between snapshots of the ostentatious “gambling capital of the world”, including the vast and pompous interiors of countless casinos and restaurants, and close-ups of Farrell’s face and hands. He sweats profusely and trembles uncontrollably throughout, as if we he was about to have a heart attack at any given moment. He finds some comfort in a half-baked romance with beautiful Dao Ming (Fala Chen). They bond in their gambling complicity. Much og the pressure is still on, and Reilly eventually takes a boat to Hong Kong, convinced that he will find solace in the English-speaking region of China. Ming lives in a tiny flat inside a crammed residential block (the only sign of poverty portrayed in the film).
Some philosophical platitudes (such as “life is a statistical improbability”) seek to add a philosophical veneer to the story, but their significance is as empty as Reilly’s pockets. But that of course could turn in a split second. Fate could eventually decide in favour of our rogue hero. The ensuing developments are beyond predictable
Ballad if a Small Player is a movie with little to say other than “gambling is the only way out”. Neither Reilly nor Ming ever seek redemption, but instead find self-acceptance in the fact that they are a “fraud”. The casinos are portrayed as beautiful and enticing environments. The gambling scenes are constructed for adrenaline-inducing purposes. The fact that Reilly is sweaty is shaky does not make him unlikeable. That’s still irresistible Farrell fighting hard to succeed, despite his flaws (the alcohol and the gambling addiction). He is a delusional underdog worthy of our pity and indeed allegiance. Surely he will eventually win and if he keeps trying really hard, over and over again. After all, that’s what happens to all gamblers, right? Barely a constructive message for the masses of gaming addicts around the planet.
This Netflix production will immediately join a long lineage of gambling movies attached to big names, with questionable artistic merit, and consistently exploited by the gaming industry for publicity purposes. They include Rounders (John Dahl, 1998), 21 (Robert Luketic, 2008), The Gambler (Rupet Wyatt, 2014), Molly’s Game (Aaron Sorkin, 2017) and many others.
Some insight into Chinese culture offers a welcome break from the gambling silliness. We learn that foreigners are dismissed as “gwailos” (ghosts), in reference to their perceived insignificance (perhaps a comment on racism?). We see images of the Hungry Ghost Festival, when masked revellers burn paper effigies of houses, cars, and money in order to appease their ravenous deities. This does not justify a viewing of 105 minutes. Just watch a video from the Macao tourism office instead.
Ballad of a Small Player was in the Official Competition of the 73rd San Sebastian International Film Festival, when this piece was originally written. Berger premiered his previous film Conclave in San Sebastian last year,.which went on to receive eight Osdcar nominations, and won the Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award. I doubt Ballad of a Small Player will reach such heights. The UK premiere takes place at the BFI London Film Festival. On Netflix on Monday, October 27th.
