BALLAD OF A SMALL PLAYER Review

After navigating the holy halls of the Vatican in Conclave, director Edward Berger trades in papal secrecy for the pulsating nightlife of Macau in Ballad of a Small Player, a visually electric and emotionally turbulent descent into obsession, luck, and moral decay. It’s the kind of movie that walks into the casino with swagger and style to spare, only to realize its chips are stacked on a busted hand. But for all its flaws, Berger’s latest is never dull, never dispassionate, and thanks to Colin Farrell, often transcendent.

A NEON FEVER DREAM

From its opening moments, Berger paints Macau as both paradise and purgatory — a city soaked in color, sweat, and regret. Cinematographer James Friend (continuing his collaboration with Berger) gives the film a hypnotic sheen; the color grading is drenched in neon blues and burning reds, casting Farrell’s gambler protagonist in the glow of both temptation and doom. It’s one of the year’s most visually alive productions — kinetic and sensual even when the screenplay struggles to match the imagery.

Berger’s command of tone is exceptional. He lets the camera linger on the loneliness of a man surrounded by wealth, the quiet desperation of a gambler who’s run out of both money and faith. The pacing borders on anxious — a restless energy courses through every frame, like the hum of a slot machine waiting to devour its next coin.

THE TENDER MADMAN

Farrell delivers what might very well be the performance of his career — or, at the very least, one of his top three. His character, an exiled banker turned compulsive gambler, teeters between self-destruction and something resembling redemption. Farrell plays him as a man perpetually on the edge of collapse, but with enough quiet charm and vulnerability that you can’t look away.

Colin Farrell as Lord Doyle

There’s a tender madness to the performance, a delicate balancing act between arrogance and anguish. He’s not just gambling at tables — he’s gambling with his own sanity, his identity, his soul. Farrell’s ability to make you feel for him, even as he spirals deeper into delusion, is what makes the movie tick. If there were any justice in Netflix’s overloaded awards slate this year, Farrell’s name would be in the conversation. Unfortunately, with so many heavy hitters in the studio’s arsenal, this small player may get lost in the shuffle.

THE SCRIPT SHOWS ITS HAND TOO EARLY

Where Ballad stumbles is on the page. Berger directs with precision, but the screenplay — adapted from Lawrence Osborne’s 2014 novel — feels too mechanical. The narrative builds toward a supposed third-act reveal that’s so telegraphed you could spot it from across the casino floor. Whether it’s an intentional thematic choice or just a case of poor execution is debatable, but the predictability undercuts what could have been a truly gut-punching finale.

The film also sidelines its supporting cast in frustrating ways. Tilda Swinton and Fala Chen both bring flashes of intrigue to the story — characters who could have mirrored or countered Farrell’s descent in fascinating ways — but they’re relegated to the background. Their arcs are mere sketches when they should have been full portraits. It’s one of the few times Berger’s precision feels like restraint in the wrong place.

ADDICTION, MORALITY & THE COST OF WINNING

Underneath its surface, Ballad of a Small Player is swimming with big ideas: addiction, loneliness, morality, the intoxicating allure of wealth, and the crushing aftermath of excess. Berger touches on all of them but never commits to any one theme long enough for it to fully resonate. The film wants to say something profound about knowing when to quit — when to cash in your chips and walk away — but like its protagonist, it can’t stop itself from playing one hand too many.

Still, even if the script occasionally stumbles over its own ambitions, the direction and performance work keep you fully invested. Berger’s film moves with the energy of a man who knows he’s in trouble but can’t resist the next spin of the wheel. It’s messy, it’s anxious, and it’s utterly human.

THE VERDICT

Ballad of a Small Player isn’t perfect — not by a long shot — but it’s intoxicating in its imperfection. It’s a film that thrives on mood, character, and atmosphere more than plot, and that’s perfectly fine when you’ve got Colin Farrell at the center, burning through the screen like a candle at both ends.

Macau may be a city of illusions, but Ballad of a Small Player feels startlingly real in its portrait of self-inflicted collapse. It's a beautifully crafted, narratively uneven, yet emotionally riveting character study anchored by one of Colin Farrell’s most haunting turns.

🍿 SCORE = 76 / 100

Ballad of a Small Player is playing theatrically in limited release on 10/15/25 and will be streaming on Netflix on 10/29/25. Read more about the film via Netflix HERE.