Starting strong, “Ballad of a Small Player” opens in the luxury world of Macau, the gambling capital of the world. With dazzling lights, brilliant architecture, and glamorous luxuries, it’s quick to understand how gambling addict Lord Doyle has become obsessed with this intoxicating world.
Doyle originally went to Macau to lay low after building up a large sum of debt, but his high-stakes gambling ways only led him deeper into trouble. He can’t find it in himself to stop gambling, even when he’s on a losing streak and has lost all of his money and then some.
Doyle’s gambling ways even begin to affect his health. He experiences heart issues and has a heart attack caused by his stress from gambling. Doyle contemplates life and weighs the options between facing his debt and ending his own life, highlighting the dangerous path becoming a gambling addict can lead to.
The world director Edward Berger transports the audience to is remarkable. The set design, paired with Doyle’s costuming, highlights the luxurious, surreal world in which this film takes place.
Several times throughout watching, I was transfixed by the scenery and artistic shots on display. There’s one scene in particular with Doyle taking an escalator down, and the framing of the shot, combined with the colors and design of the set, was breathtaking. Even the background music added to the illusion of the fantastical world of Macau.
The color palette is truly stunning and significantly enhances its appeal. Many scenes are tinged with a blue overlay, giving everything a more unsettling, maddening feel. In fact, the colors and design from the trailer alone were what prompted me to watch this movie, and it definitely did not disappoint on that front.
However, the film’s actual plot never quite had the emotional impact it was aiming to have. Doyle’s breakdown and subsequent actions as a result of his addiction were only surface-level, never making me feel particularly upset over his predicament.
Doyle never demonstrated characteristics for me to root for; his personality was only that of a gambler, nothing more. Even when he went through his character arc — winning back the money to repay his debts and giving up on gambling — I still wasn’t as moved as I could have been.
The film deals with many intense topics, such as addiction and suicide, but these topics and emotions aren’t explored deeply enough. The film tries to convey a message on the dangers of greed, but I was never as moved as I could have been when such heavy themes were prevalent.
There was also a plot point about spirits, ghost carnivals, and other supernatural elements, but it was never touched upon enough for me to understand its relevance. I felt the story should have leaned on the supernatural aspects more, as it could have prevented the film from being as cliché as it turned out to be. As it was, however, the spirits and ghosts never made sense to me.
Honestly, the script really held this film back. The cinematography was remarkable, and one of the main reasons I wanted to continue watching the film. The acting by Colin Farrell was stellar, and really showed a range of emotions and dynamic expressions.
If the characters could have been explored a bit more, and the somewhat supernatural aspects could have made more of an impact, maybe this film would have been more memorable for me.
Stick around after the first few ending credits, though, as there’s a fun scene between Doyle and the female investigator who had joked about dancing together throughout the film. It was another example of breathtaking cinematography, and really highlights that sometimes a film just looks pretty instead of having an outstanding plot.