Mark Wahlberg has described his role of gambler Jim Bennett as the most challenging role of his career (battling giant robots aside..ahem) Besides the fact that Wahlberg attended numerous college lectures to nail down professor mannerisms and style, he lost a whopping 61lbs on a diet that consisted of vegetables, liquids, cardio and probably some left over oil from the last Transformers outing.
With a slightly withdrawn and gaunt looking Jim Bennett, it’s easy to see where Wahlberg put in the physical work for this role. However, his performance of a gambler who borrows money from his mother and a loan shark, in a quest for a second chance at life, while good is not exactly outstanding.
At this stage of his career, Mark Wahlberg is playing more of himself than any other character, in the same way that Bruce Willis or Arnie does. However, that’s not to say that this performance is poor. Quite the contrary, because when he does shake off the Wahlbergisms, his performance is genuinely watchable and audiences will certainly be on the edge of their seat as Bennett churns through thousands of dollars in seconds. And then does it again and again. It really is a harrowing portrayal at times.
Director Rupert Wyatt feels that this isn’t a story about addiction (as he told me on a recent podcast) but is one of success. And by the time the ending rolls around, it’s a fair observation, but watching Bennett splash the cash still does highlight the addiction. At times, it’s so well done, it feels like Bennett is losing your money, let alone everybody else he borrows from.
There’s a decent supporting cast here, including a brief, but top notch performance from Jessica Lange and an incredibly watchable outing from Michael Kenneth Williams. But the real shining light here, besides some inspired moments from Wahlberg, is John Goodman. This is some of the best work Goodman has done in years with a superbly crafted and brave performance. It’s a big ask for a big guy to shed all his inhibitions and reservations about weight, but Goodman was up for the task. His sauna scenes are intense, entertaining and incredibly brave.
The pacing is decent enough and the movie rollicks along, and while it does seem a bit bleak in places, a rather decent ending gives the movie a wonderful lift.
While not a full house, The Gambler is still a decent hand and is most definitely worth playing.
