The Gambler
Reed Learned
The Gambler is a movie starring Mark Wahlberg and John Goodman. It is about a college professor (Wahlberg) who is a very bright but also very troubled individual. The opening scene starts with Wahlberg taking a huge 'loan' from a dangerous man who doesn't even like him. The man obliges to give Wahlberg the money, more out of curiosity than anything. We learn that he is in debt to another dangerous man who owns an underground casino as well. This is all a very good lead-up, and definite interest is formed early.
However, the movie fizzles out quickly from the lead-up. Wahlberg falls for a girl in his class who, of course, is a waitress at the underground casino he goes to and knows of his secret life. Once he falls for her, the movie shifts from action-packed, potentially thrilling story of money and danger to any other love story. The movie tries to switch from action to love back to action, but frankly I would've rather watched a full-blown love story than a confused action-love packed movie that switches from one to the other.
The movie's end provides no real saving grace, as it just sort of ends. Of course Mark as the protagonist ends up paying the people he owed and getting the girl he wanted, but it happened in no interesting way at all. He just sort of go the money and the girl, and the credits rolled. A very disappointing end to a bad movie.
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