Ballad of a Small Player Official Trailer Review – Directed by Edward Berger, starring Colin Farrell. Read full review, cast details, storyline, cinematography, rating & Oscar predictions.

Hello friends! Today we bring you the Ballad of a Small Player Official Trailer Review. This is the new film from the director of All Quiet on the Western Front and last year’s Conclave. Edward Berger already has a new film based on Lawrence Osborne’s book of the same name. The story revolves around a character named Lord Doyle, played by Colin Farrell. He plays this role like a wild dog and just attacks it. In this Ballad of a Small Player Official Trailer Review, we’ll explore the story based on this character and his exploits in Macau, where he’s running from his past and authorities, spending his days and nights wandering casinos playing baccarat.

Movie Details

Storyline Ballad of a Small Player Official Trailer Review

The Ballad of a Small Player Official Trailer Review reveals a story that revolves around Lord Doyle, a character running away from his past and authorities. He is an Irish man who has adopted a new identity as Lord Doyle, a prestigious British man. He spends his days and nights in Macau casinos playing baccarat with very high stakes.

The source material is not incredibly plot-driven. It has a plot, but it relies more on atmosphere building. The film is about excess and gluttony. Lord Doyle is a kind of thug portrayed as a hungry ghost with a big mouth but empty stomach – someone who is never satisfied, where enough is never enough. He must crave more.

Another character, Da Ming, is introduced, played by Fa Chin. This character was also a bit vague in the book and is a big part of the story. Her role is considered a kind of redemption role for Colin Farrell’s character. His character just appears, but there’s struggle with what to do with this character.

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Cast & Characters

In the Ballad of a Small Player Official Trailer Review, let’s talk about the cast:

• Colin Farrell as Lord Doyle – Colin Farrell is throwing balls at the walls in this role. He gives his absolute best. In one scene, he’s stuffing food down his throat, demonstrating the concept of Lord Doyle as a hungry ghost. The acting is very good.
• Tilda Swinton (Fa Chin) as Da Ming – This character’s role is considered redemptive for Colin Farrell’s character. However, Rowan Joffe struggles with what to do with this character. The scenes with her just don’t match and lack chemistry.
• Supporting Cast – The film features colorful costumes and various characters that populate Macau’s casino world.

It’s not the actors’ fault. It’s definitely not Tilda Swinton’s fault. It’s not Farrell’s fault. It’s just the way the scenes are directed.

Direction & Cinematography

The Ballad of a Small Player Official Trailer Review highlights Edward Berger’s bold, showy style that you would see in a Baz Luhrmann film. Berger brought his impressive directorial style with impressive music by Volker Bertelmann, creating something incredibly entertaining and sensual.

Berger and cinematographer James Friend shoot the gambling scenes very well. The film has a lot of attractive and stylish compositions. Vibrant colors similar to big casino neon lights. Most of the film is about excess and gluttony. The very showy Berger style, like Wolf of Wall Street, suits the film.

The cinematography and lighting in this film are very attractive. They’re shooting in Macau, and there are perhaps some scenes of Hungry Ghost Parade or some buildings here and there. In Berger’s vision, Macau is an inescapable nightmare of neon.

However, the impressive direction doesn’t carry the entire story, especially in scenes where a softer touch with honesty would be more appropriate. Berger missed the opportunity to show Colin Farrell’s two identities by having two style gears in the film – showy for Lord Doyle, but soft and delicate when forced to reveal himself to Da Ming.

Positive & Negative Points

Positive Points (Ballad of a Small Player Official Trailer Review):

• Film has a lot of style and very colorful costumes
• Colin Farrell gives his absolute best performance
• Cinematography and lighting are very attractive
• High-stakes gambling scenes are shot brilliantly
• Vibrant colors and stylish compositions
• Music by Volker Bertelmann is impressive
• World building is amazing
• Acting is very good overall

Negative Points:

• Scenes between Colin Farrell and Da Ming character don’t match and lack chemistry
• Film felt a bit lacking in Chinese influence despite being set in Macau
• Film has removed all the poetry from the book
• No real moody atmosphere, only style display
• Could have explored deeper what motivates a gambler
• Film lacks cultural details about food, places, buildings that were in the book
• Story and themes never come together satisfactorily
• Pacing issues in certain intimate scenes

Box Office Collection / Budget

The Ballad of a Small Player Official Trailer Review doesn’t provide specific box office or budget information. However, Rowan Joffe mentioned in a Q&A session that the biggest challenge in making this film was removing the poetry described in the book to create something for which they could actually get funding from the studio.

The film is a stylish production with significant investment in cinematography, location shooting in Macau, and high production values visible throughout.

OTT Release Date

The Ballad of a Small Player Official Trailer Review was screened at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival). Specific OTT release dates have not been announced yet. The film is expected to have a theatrical release first before moving to streaming platforms.

Final Verdict / Rating Ballad of a Small Player Official Trailer Review

Ballad of a Small Player Official Trailer Review – Overall, the film still has a lot of style. The style is very likeable with lots of stylish elements and colorful costumes. However, unfortunately, the story and themes never come together satisfactorily or very effectively.

First Reviewer Rating: 6/10 – Perhaps Berger can only do so much with a script that just isn’t there. The film shows what’s wrong – they removed all the essence of the film and only displayed style, but no real moody atmosphere.

Second Reviewer Rating: 7/10 – Liked it more because they included many themes, even if they’re a bit more subtle than the book or were slightly overlooked. Colin Farrell played the role of Lord Doyle well. It’s a good adaptation, a good enough adaptation.

One can only imagine what difference it would make if this material was in the hands of a director like Wong Kar-wai or some other Chinese director who could really connect a character study of a gambler with Chinese superstitions and mythology associated with hungry ghosts.

Oscar Predictions & Conclusion

In this Ballad of a Small Player Official Trailer Review, let’s talk about Oscars. The cinematography and lighting in this film are very attractive. However, cinematography in Joker was also attractive, and this film unfortunately won’t make much impact in this awards season.

Looking at zero nominations. The biggest chance would be Cinematography and perhaps Costume and then maybe Music, but it doesn’t seem likely. This film will probably come and go.

So that’s what we thought about Ballad of a Small Player. The film will probably arrive and leave without major recognition despite its visual appeal and Colin Farrell’s committed performance. The lack of depth in exploring gambling addiction and the cultural richness of Macau holds it back from being truly memorable.