The Gambler (2015)

*** ½ out of ****

Mark Wahlberg might be the nicest surprise I've ever had as far as an actor's career. Starting out as a poor imitation of a hip-hop artist (Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch – come on come on – feel it feel it), when he made the transition to the movies I expected him to suck as an actor as he did as a musician.

At first, he was surprisingly adequate. In “The Basketball Diaries”, “Fear” and “Three Kings” I didn't find him to actually be good, but he didn't stink, which alone made it a bonus. He got a lot of accolades for “Boogie Nights”, but again, I felt he was adequate – it was the script that shone there, not his performance. But then along came “The Perfect Storm”, where he was almost great as a novice deep sea fisherman. And he just kept turning in good performance after good performance until “The Departed”, where I finally had to concede – this guy's the real thing. He had evolved into a really talented actor.

In the films since, he has continued at the same high level. His most recent film released to DVD is no exception. “The Gambler” finds him playing Jim Bennett, a poor-little-rich-boy with a terrible gambling addiction. You can tell he sees himself kind of as the Matt Damon character in “Rounders”, but he gambles really poorly. Crazy risks, stupid moves and a total lack of accountability have seen him drop hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt (and to guys that kill you if you don't pay it back) and stretched beyond any limits.

His mother is a rich widow, and he (as well as his creditors) expect her to bail him out. Unfortunately, she is as far past the end of her rope with him as everyone else is. Things don't look very promising for Jim, and given his understanding of his gambling addiction and his clear self-loathing, he appears to feel it would be better for everyone if the guys he owes just kill him. At one point he even has the money to pay everything off and just pisses it away in an effort to make it clear to everyone that he has given up on himself.

Wahlberg isn't getting a lot of attention for this role, but I feel it is one of his best. He has the character down, and he doesn't play him at all as a sympathetic character. I felt that was the right move, as guys like him aren't very sympathetic in real life. They are hard, cruel, self aggrandizing and have little or no regard for the feelings or needs of other people. He play Jim just like this, and the manner in which he drives anyone's good feelings about him away is extremely realistic.

Other noteworthy performances are by Jessica Lange as his rich but cold mother, Brie Larson as a college student who see a chance for redemption for Jim, and John Goodman as an end-of-the-line loan shark – the kind of guy who is into risk management and murder when the risks don't pay off.

This isn't a feel good film. It's cold, brutal and cruel. It's also very real. I loved it.