"The Ballad Of A Small Player, Edward Berger's flashy, frenetic follow-up to last year's acclaimed papal drama , seems like the opposite of that Oscar-nominated film in every way. It's hyper-stylized and sleazy and sordid, with Farrell's go-for-broke performance embodying a movie that feels like its tenuous grip on reality could break at any moment and send it hurling into the ether."
"The Ballad Of A Small Player follows Lord Doyle, a gambling addict who just ran out of his last line of credit. Dogged at every turn by creditors and a private investigator (Tilda Swinton) who want him to pay back the millions that he owes, Doyle turns up at the one casino that hasn't yet kicked him out. There he meets the mysterious and alluring Dao Ming (Fala Chen), who kindly offers him a new line of credit at the casino."
Lord Doyle is a white expatriate gambler hiding in Macau, claiming invisibility while living a decadent, high-rolling lifestyle. Doyle has maxed out credit and is pursued by angry creditors and a private investigator intent on collecting millions. He finds one casino that still accepts him and meets Dao Ming, who extends a dangerous new line of credit. A tragic encounter with one of Dao's clients propels Doyle and Dao down a cursed, inescapable path. The film is hyper-stylized, sleazy, and built on excess, anchored by Colin Farrell's over-the-top, dirtbag-charm performance and by a late supernatural turn that adds spiritual undertones.
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