Ballad of a Small Player is fun and stylish, but it doesn’t strike a balance in tone between the dramatic filmmaking and the spiritual element. Colin Farrell’s brilliant performance isn’t enough to fully stick the landing, but he lifts the film up another level.

Edward Berger’s newest directorial outing is a sharp turn from his previous films. In comparison to the seriousness of works like Conclave and All Quiet on the Western Front, Ballad of a Small Player feels relatively normal. Addiction and suicidal ideation aren’t the most fun subjects, but the mis-en-scène of it all adds a funhouse quality to the film. A riveting performance by Colin Farrell and intense direction by Berger turned this book adaptation into a thrilling story of a man on the edge of sanity.

Ballad of a Small Player follows a man under the alias of Lord Doyle (Colin Farrell) as he gambles and drinks his way through Macau, which is the gambling capital of the world. He finds freedom in being anyone he wants to be. His illusion of luxury begins to crumble whenever the hotel management informs him that he owes 352,000.64 in Hong Kong currency to the hotel, which is approximately 46,000 in US dollars. He claims he will have his bank wire it over in three days, but this is a lie. Gambling is no longer for fun, but for a purpose. His game of choice is Baccarat. This is where he meets Dao Ming (Fala Chen), a loan broker with whom he has chemistry. They both have troubling pasts. He saves her from the harassment of a woman whose husband committed suicide after she offered him more credit to gamble with. Doyle offers her a deal: if she allocates him more credit, he promises to use his winnings to pay off her debt. She refuses, and instead they share a moment of reflection. Tension ramps up again whenever Cynthia Blithe (Tilda Swinton) appears and chases him down to pay back money he owes from his previous life in the United Kingdom. The walls are closing in, and his health is depleting. Will Lord Doyle’s luck return, or will he lose everything once and for all?

Colin Farrell is utterly fantastic as Lord Doyle. He’s the heart and soul of the film, and without his dazzling performance, it wouldn’t work in the least. Although his erratic behavior in the film is fun and memorable, there are a few subtle moments that allow us to peek inside the psyche of the broken man he’s playing. He has to play cocky, desperate, funny, grief, anxiety, and more, and make it believable as well as switch between English and Irish accents. Farrell is the star of the show, but Fala Chen is underrated. Chen gives a subtle performance as the sensitive and sweet Dao Ming. She is in a nasty line of work, but she still desires to be a good person. She has empathy for Lord Doyle because she knows he’s suffering from addiction, but she could easily have been bitter towards him. She has little screen time but a major impact. She was a fantastic choice by the casting directors. Tilda Swinton and Alex Jennings are fine in their roles, but are by no means the standouts.

The film’s biggest hit or miss is Berger’s heavy-handed direction. There are strong choices being made in every frame, but he’s not being indulgent for his own gratification. It goes hand-in-hand with the themes and the story of Lord Doyle. He is a man who wants to experience life to its fullest. He doesn’t even like champagne or cigars, but he smokes and drinks because that’s what the wealthy do. His addictive personality turns everything up to 10. There is no such thing as a little gambling or one drink. It is all or nothing. Balance isn’t a word that he’s familiar with. Berger’s direction mirrors Doyle’s way of life. It’s psychedelic, and almost nauseating. The color saturation appears to be at 100 as well, and it feels unsettling. There is a brief period of time when he leaves Macau and everything settles down to a regular vibe until Doyle’s worst tendencies ramp up again. The direction could be distracting to some viewers and not an issue to others. I like how it mirrored Doyle’s journey, but I am grateful his journey was only 101 minutes long. It wouldn’t have been sustainable for much longer.

As particular as the direction is, it wouldn’t mean nearly as much if the craftwork wasn’t operating on the same wavelength. This is a score Volker Bertelmann could do in his sleep. It’s nowhere near as memorable as his previous two collaborations with Berger. That being said, it still goes well with Berger’s direction. It has many exciting moments of thunking brass and intense strings. Also, the production design is intricate and detailed. The eye can look anywhere on the screen and find something interesting to see. It’s beautiful and overwhelming.

Unfortunately, the brash direction and craftwork hinder the deeper aspects of the story. The film takes place during a week of Ghost Month, the seventh month of the Chinese calendar, specifically during the Hungry Ghost Festival. This is where people burn offerings to their ancestors to honor them and absolve them of their sufferings. There are several offhand references throughout Ballad of a Small Player that mention ghosts and spirits. Dao Ming calls Lord Doyle a lost soul, which he most certainly is. He suffers from multiple addictions, has narcissistic tendencies, and has a haunted aura. As understandable as the aesthetic may be, it undercuts the emotional and spiritual themes that are attempting to push through. It caused the ending to take me slightly by surprise. Instead of basking in Lord Doyle’s final moments, I had to quickly think over the film to make sure it made sense.

Ballad of a Small Player is fun and stylish, but it doesn’t strike a balance in tone between the dramatic filmmaking and the spiritual element. Colin Farrell’s brilliant performance isn’t enough to fully stick the landing, but he lifts the film up another level. Upon reflection, I remember it primarily as one man’s thrilling week-long spiral of indulgence and excess, with its softer elements taking a back seat. There is certainly a rewatchability factor, as on another viewing, you could take the time to really lock into the few quiet moments, but it would’ve been more effective if they shone through the first time. Even so, the rich aesthetic and Lord Doyle’s wild ride is enough to warrant a watch of Ballad of a Small Player.

Grade: B+

Oscars Prospects:
Likely: None
Should Be Considered: Best Lead Actor (Colin Farrell), Best Production Design

Where to Watch: Streaming on Netflix