The Gambler

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The Gambler

R

2015

1h 51m

Crime

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

43%

Tomatometer

141 Reviews

31%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Literature professor Jim Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) leads a secret life as a high-stakes gambler. Always a risk-taker, Bennett bets it all when he borrows from a gangster and offers his own life as collateral. Staying one step ahead, he pits his creditor against the operator of an illicit gambling ring while garnering the attention of Frank (John Goodman), a paternalistic loan shark. As his relationship with a student (Brie Larson) deepens, Bennett must risk everything for a second chance.

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Critics Consensus

Well-paced and reasonably entertaining in its own right, The Gambler still suffers from comparisons to the James Caan classic that inspired it.

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Jason Bailey

Flavorwire

Jun 7, 2016

'The Gambler' is just shy of a great movie - it doesn't quite add up like it should - but it is a reminder that there's a very fine actor lurking in Mark Wahlberg.

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Stephen Romei

The Australian

Feb 12, 2015

3/5

This is a slick, fast-paced film that maintains its sometimes unbearable tension until the last roll of the dice.

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Mark Kermode

Observer (UK)

Jan 25, 2015

2/5

Despite stylish direction by Rupert Wyatt, who pulls off a few arresting set pieces, The Gambler never manages to make sense of William Monahan's often laughably overripe screenplay.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Jul 13, 2022

2/4

By the end, it's difficult to care about Jim as Wahlberg represents him.

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Nick Levine

NME (New Musical Express)

May 27, 2021

2.5/5

Potentially gripping, but never generates enough tension...

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Richard Crouse

Richard Crouse

Feb 2, 2021

3/5

Wants to be a philosophical look at life's big issues, using Bennett's fall from grace as a backdrop, but in the end delivers Hollywood cynicism.

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Dave D

@RT78510413 Sep 8, 2026

A decent watch but ultimately falls short of being a great or even very good movie. The "romance" between Mark Wahlberg and Brie Larson is not really that believable and the plot's lack of cohesion makes it feel a little contrived. Some tense moments with the gambling scenes but that and John Goodman are the highlights.

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Robert P

@Superbad Sep 4, 2026

This is not a movie worth watching...

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Courtland L

@RT03828895 Jul 14, 2026

Very disjointed. Lacks cohesion. Intensity lost on disorganization. Little emotional depth. Small intermittent redeeming qualities. Still, overshadowed by no character building. Hints at mysteriousness without any revelatory sequencing thereafter. 2 out of 5 stars, stars going to the cinematography and John Goodman looking like John The Hutt.

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Nicholas B

@CoolRuler Jan 3, 2026

The movie tried so hard to be smart and clever that it forgot to be interesting and entertaining.

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thiago s

@Thiagostone Oct 14, 2025

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

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donnie m

@RT64375194 Apr 28, 2025

watching now-this is the FIRST and only movie i've seen where i like John Goodman-the look and the way he talks-he actually sounds the part- tough and REAL for the first time instead of his way too exaggerated accents and strange tones and exaggerations in other movies and i love The Righteous Gemstones but he talks so fake-same in The Conners which i do not watch

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Rupert Wyatt

Director

Mark Wahlberg

Jim Bennett

John Goodman

Frank

Brie Larson

Amy Phillips

Michael Kenneth Williams

Neville Baraka

Jessica Lange

Roberta

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Synopsis

Literature professor Jim Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) leads a secret life as a high-stakes gambler. Always a risk-taker, Bennett bets it all when he borrows from a gangster and offers his own life as collateral. Staying one step ahead, he pits his creditor against the operator of an illicit gambling ring while garnering the attention of Frank (John Goodman), a paternalistic loan shark. As his relationship with a student (Brie Larson) deepens, Bennett must risk everything for a second chance.

Director: Rupert Wyatt
Producer: Mark Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson, Irwin Winkler, Robert Chartoff, David Winkler
Screenwriter: William Monahan
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Closest to the Hole, Chartoff Winkler, Leverage
Rating: R (Some Sexuality/Nudity|Language Throughout)
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 1, 2015, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 24, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $33.7M
Runtime: 1h 51m
Sound Mix: Datasat, Dolby Digital

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