The Gambler (2014 film)
| The Gambler | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Rupert Wyatt |
| Produced by |
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| Screenplay by | William Monahan |
| Based on |
The Gambler by James Toback |
| Starring |
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| Music by | |
| Cinematography | Greig Fraser |
| Edited by | Pete Beaudreau |
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Production
companies |
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| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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111 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $25-31 million |
| Box office | $39.3 million |
The Gambler is a 2014 American crime drama film directed by Rupert Wyatt. The screenplay by William Monahan is based on the 1974 film The Gambler, written by James Toback. The remake, starring Mark Wahlberg as the title character, premiered on November 10, 2014 at the AFI Fest, and was theatrically released in the United States on December 25, 2014. It features George Kennedy's final film role before his death in 2016.
Jim Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) is a Los Angeles literature professor with a severe gambling addiction caused by his view of the world as either having it all or having nothing. This view goes unchanged even after the death of his grandfather, Ed (George Kennedy), who names Bennett his successor just before dying. Bennett ends up owing $240,000 to Lee (Alvin Ing), the proprietor of an underground gambling ring, and another $50,000 to Neville Baraka (Michael K. Williams), a loan shark. Lee gives Bennett seven days to pay off his debts or be murdered.
During one of his classes, Bennett identifies student Amy Phillips (Brie Larson) as a potential writing prodigy, having previously encountered her as a waitress at the gambling house. Bennett also singles out Dexter (Emory Cohen), a genius tennis star, and confronts Lamar Allen (Anthony Kelley), a student who does not pay attention in class and intends to become an NBA basketball player. Amy develops a personal interest in the professor.
After class, Bennett visits his mother Roberta (Jessica Lange) at the family's luxury estate, but she says that she will not give him any more money. Bennett considers borrowing money from Frank (John Goodman), another loan shark, to consolidate his debts and buy himself some time, but refuses to do so after Frank's demands include that Bennett admit, "I am not a man." Bennett convinces Roberta to give him enough money to pay off his debts, expressing no gratitude to her, then during a trip to a casino with Amy gambles it all away. Baraka kidnaps Bennett, has him beaten and forces him into an ultimatum—if he does not convince Lamar to win one of his college basketball games by a margin of 7 points or less, he will murder Amy.
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Wikipedia