The Gambler is a 1974 movie directed by Karel Reisz.
WHAT HAPPENS?
A literature professor chases the thrill and destruction of his devastating gambling addiction.
ONE LINE REVIEW
The Gambler is a honest and often difficult look at the impulsive nature of a gambler.
THE ACTORS
James Caan is compelling as Axel Freed, a professor who constantly seeks the “juice” of betting. It’s a unique role for Caan – as he balances his character’s wealthy upbringing and intellectual background with an impulse for seedy action. Caan’s natural fire emerges in several scenes but is tempered during moments with Jacqueline Brookes’ Naomi. Caan appears both enabled and wounded – a victim of both his grandfather’s success and his warped addiction.
Brookes is a scene stealer as Naomi, Axel’s mother. She perfectly conveys a broken desperation as she knows Axel can’t be helped. Their scene on the beach where Axel reveals his debt is among the movie’s best. The rest of the supporting cast is solid, including Lauren Hutton’s devoted but distraught Billie and Morris Carnovsky’s patriarchal A.R. Lowenthal. Paul Sorvino shines as the gritty, annoyed loan shark Hips.
THE DIRECTOR
Reisz’s unobtrusive directing style allows his actors to carry what is an excellent script. There aren’t many narrative flourishes and even the settings are allowed to breathe. We see Axel trapped by his natural surroundings – his convertible, a wide open beach and his grandfather’s sprawling estate. The character feels more at home in confined spaces – casinos and tiny apartments. Ultimately, we see the dark contrast in the movie’s final scene.
THE BEST – Father Issues
Reisz does a terrific job contrasting Axel’s actions with his family relations. Caan’s character is essentially an Alpha Male but is deeply dependent on his family’s wealth – along with his grandfather’s approval. After Carnovsky’s Lowenthal rejects Hutton’s Billie, Caan appears wounded and slips into a destructive gambling bender. It’s an interesting psychological trigger and helps to make Axel’s actions make sense.
THE BEST Part Two – Burt Young
You know you’re watching a gritty 70’s movie when Burt Young shows up. Here, he plays Carmine – who initially appears as an unassuming, affable debt collector. However, he eventually turns violent – destroying an apartment and threatening a poor guy indebted to the mob. Young owns his scene and shifts the movie’s tone – after his vicious actions, he glares at Caan’s Axel to serve a warning.
THE BEST Part Three – The Coke Friends
Axel’s spiraling debts lead him on a search for quick money. Part of his journey finds him hitting up a drug dealer friend for some “action.” It’s a light scene that also foreshadows the darkness Caan’s character is facing.
THE BEST Part Four – The Lectures
Some of Caan’s best moments come as he teaches literature. His Axel spars with Carl W. Crudup’s Spencer, a basketball player who boasts a healthy skepticism – something that perfectly sets up the movie’s final act. Axel’s message on “will and certainty” is a subtle highlight of the movie.
THE BEST Part Five – That Final Scene
Just watch.
THE WORST – Throwing the Game
The movie tends to grind as it climbs to its finish. The scenes with Crudup’s Spencer shaving points are long-winded and a bit clumsy. However, the movie’s otherwise solid logic is suspended as Caan’s Axel watches a thrown game with mobsters – non-verbally communicating with Spencer.
FOX FORCE FIVE RATING – 4.25/5
The Gambler is a great representative of 70’s cinema. Caan is tremendous in a nuanced role and leads an impressive cast of actors.
