The Gambler

 

                                        

                                This year I made it clear to myself that I intend to expand my horizon's watch movies that I haven't seen moreover just failed miserably at picking the time and the place to finally sit down and watch the film. Although there have been some trial and errors and real errors if you catch my meaning though it would be a long story to tell. But then I found a movie that's been in my radar for quite some time upon which stars James Caan himself just two years before he starred in the 1972, The Godfather. The Gambler tells the story about a man who gives you a clear reason to stop gambling in life, because when you owe a lot of money to the mob, bad things will happen but with Caan's case "meh I still got a chance."

                                 New York City's English Professor Axel Freed (James Caan) outwardly seems like an upstanding citizen. But privately Freed is in the clutches of a severe gambling addiction that threatens to destroy him. After a heavy loss betting on basketball, he relies on his mother to bail him out to the tune of 44,000 dollars. Unfazed, he continues to gamble recklessly, winning big at a casino, only to blow it all just as quickly. When his debts become more than he can handle, the loan sharks begin to circle.

                                 Although this was the first start of expanding my horizons this was no doubt a good start when it came to finding a great movie to watch, moreover this was worth watching from start to finish. This was one of those films that you feel story for the guy but through the course of the film just don't feel sorry for him especially when he doesn't learn a single good lesson from all of this, though strangely shows a darker side to gambling addiction and that it’s a real tough thing to overcome but only if you choose to continue with the addiction, which is an interesting thing to ask in terms of a discussion panel. I think the best way to describe the movie is Bradley Cooper's portrayal in Nightmare Alley where he just wants to go up to the top and then it just hits you like a ton of bricks and you can't climb out of it and the same goes with this movie where you feel like Caan's character will change but you cringe to the fact that he doesn't learn any lesson. James Caan himself said that The Gambler was one of his favorite films as well as performances and states "It's not easy to make people care about a guy who steals from his mother to pay gambling debts". Not to spoil much of the movie itself I will say that they remade this movie ten years ago staring of course Mark Wahlberg, and I knew I was not going to watch that film, so I decided to browse the plot on Wikipedia, and it was basically a man overcoming his addiction at the end. And really that's one of the main reasons why I like this film better because this has the bleak ending where you don't know what is going to happen to Caan's character at the end but is also shocked at how it ends for which really shows why this movie is a billion times better than Wahlberg's version of the Gambler even though I never seen the film nor have in interest in wanting to see it. So, no doubt I would highly recommend watching the film it has a great actor in James Caan moreover you get some surprising performances in Paul Sorvino and Burt Young, but really is a perfect movie about a man who slowly loses his humanity as well as the people close to him and that's what I love about the film.