Ballad of a Small Player, 2025.
Directed by Edward Berger.
Starring Colin Farrell, Fala Chen, Tilda Swinton, and Alex Jennings.
SYNOPSIS:
When his past and his debts start to catch up with him, a high-stakes gambler laying low in Macau encounters a kindred spirit who might just hold the key to his salvation.
Edward Berger has been on an incredible hot streak the past few years with his Oscar winning films All Quiet on The Western Front and Conclave. He tries his hand at another adaptation now with Ballad of a Small Player, based on Lawrence Osborne’s novel of the same name, which centres on Lord Doyle (Colin Farrell), an extravagant British gambler based in Macau.
It becomes immediately apparent that all is not as it seems surrounding Doyle and that his world is a façade, with the walls close to collapsing around him. We discover that he is not who he claims to be and that his yellow gambling gloves don’t bring him any luck, as he moves from one casino to another, losing badly at Baccarat. A private investigator (Tilda Swinton), is hot on his heels, the ghosts of his past in the the UK coming back to haunt him. Does a chance encounter with a local woman, offer the key to his salvation?
Colin Farrell is terrific as Doyle, appearing one thing but quite different beneath the surface. Doyle is quite clearly in over his head, drinking far too much, risking severe damage to his health but getting a dangerous kick out of his lifestyle. It’s a sweaty, erratic performance that Farrell completely owns. If not necessarily the most likeable protagonist, Farrell really captures a loneliness and addictive quality.
With so much focus on Doyle, we are lacking the ensemble of Conclave. Swinton is a good foil, a character absent from the original novel, adding some extra drama and tension and allowing Doyle’s past to follow him to Macau. Shot on location in Macau and Hong Kong, James Friend who worked on All Quiet, wonderfully captures the boom and bustle of both and how isolating it makes Doyle feel. It is set against the backdrop of a local festival celebrating the spirits of the dead, creating a sense of dread and unease.
It may not be quite as strong as Conclave or All Quiet on The Western Front but Edward Berger and screenwriter Rowan Joffé have admirably brought Osborne’s novel to life in a way that works for the big screen. It is a shame that this will probably be overlooked on Netflix, as it’s a compelling film that warrants the audiences patience and Farrell’s performance grounds it perfectly.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Chris Connor
Originally published October 9, 2025. Updated October 12, 2025.
