Netflix’s Ballad of a Small Player marks a reunion of Oscar-winning talents — director Edward Berger, actor Colin Farrell, and composer Volker Bertelmann — in a slow, hypnotic descent into addiction, guilt, and self-destruction. But while the film dazzles with its technical brilliance and cinematic polish, it struggles to cash in on its emotional stakes.
Adapted from Lawrence Osborne’s 2014 novel, the film follows Lord Doyle, a washed-up British con man and compulsive gambler whose sins catch up with him amid the neon haze of Macau’s casinos. Berger’s direction, fresh off the acclaim of All Quiet on the Western Front and Conclave, offers visual poetry in motion — but does the story itself deliver the same punch?
The Setup: A Gambler Out of Time and Luck
The story begins with Lord “Small Player” Doyle (Colin Farrell) living in self-imposed exile in Macau. Once a slick English financier, Doyle is now on the run after defrauding an elderly widow. Broke, paranoid, and constantly drunk, he spends his nights moving between casinos, playing baccarat and avoiding bounty hunters.
When Doyle meets Dao Ming (Fala Chen) — a mysterious casino employee who seems to see right through him — he’s offered one last chance at redemption. But salvation is never free, and Doyle’s vices may have already sealed his fate.
Into this crumbling life steps Cynthia Blithe (Tilda Swinton), a private investigator hired to recover the money Doyle stole. Her arrival turns the film into a cat-and-mouse game, though the stakes remain more existential than criminal. Doyle’s struggle is less about escaping capture than confronting the void of his own decay.
Key Details of Ballad of a Small Player
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Title | Ballad of a Small Player |
| Director | Edward Berger (All Quiet on the Western Front) |
| Screenwriter | Rowan Joffe (Brighton Rock) |
| Based On | Ballad of a Small Player (2014 novel by Lawrence Osborne) |
| Main Cast | Colin Farrell (Lord Doyle), Fala Chen (Dao Ming), Tilda Swinton (Cynthia Blithe) |
| Genre | Psychological Drama / Neo-Noir |
| Runtime | 100 minutes |
| Composer | Volker Bertelmann |
| Cinematography | James Friend |
| Production Companies | Good Chaos, Nine Hours, Stigma Films |
| Netflix Release Window | Late 2025 (Global Streaming) |
Edward Berger’s Direction: Hypnotic Precision, Emotional Distance
Berger’s filmmaking remains technically immaculate. Working again with cinematographer James Friend, he paints Macau’s casino culture with opulent precision — all shimmering glass, oppressive humidity, and reflections that blur faces like memories. Every shot feels like a calculated gamble in light and shadow.
However, for all its beauty, Ballad of a Small Player sometimes feels like a hollow bet. The film’s deliberate pacing and meditative tone evoke a modern noir, but its emotional core struggles to rise above surface-level despair.
Where All Quiet on the Western Front pulsed with moral urgency, Ballad simmers — its tension slow-burning but rarely cathartic. The film seems aware of its protagonist’s emptiness but doesn’t quite fill it with meaning.
Critic Armond Lee (CineScope Weekly) noted:
“Berger directs the story like a jazz soloist who never hits the crescendo. Every frame sings, but the melody disappears the moment you step outside the theater.”
Colin Farrell’s Performance: Charm Meets Decay
Colin Farrell carries the film with the weary magnetism of a man running out of luck. His portrayal of Lord Doyle lands somewhere between In Bruges and The Lobster — charming but hollow, self-aware yet self-destructive. He wears guilt like a tailored suit that’s two sizes too small.
Farrell’s performance is at its best when he’s silent — lost in smoke, whiskey, and regret. Yet even his understated brilliance can’t fully salvage a character written with little emotional payoff. We understand Doyle’s sins, but never his soul.
“Farrell is giving a performance of quiet implosion,” writes Variety’s Lisa Kennedy. “But the screenplay never lets him truly explode.”
Dao Ming and the Ghosts of Redemption
The film’s most intriguing thread lies in Dao Ming (Fala Chen) — the enigmatic casino hostess who helps Doyle confront his spiritual decay. Through her, the story introduces Buddhist symbolism, particularly the myth of the Hungry Ghosts — beings doomed to endless consumption without satisfaction.
Dao Ming sees in Doyle the same hunger that destroyed her. She becomes both his mirror and moral compass, guiding him toward an uncertain redemption. Their dynamic holds the film’s fragile heart.
Fala Chen’s performance is luminous — restrained, mysterious, and deeply empathetic. She infuses Dao Ming with grace and melancholy, grounding the film when its narrative threatens to drift.
“Fala Chen is the film’s true emotional anchor,” wrote The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw. “She gives Ballad of a Small Player the human pulse its protagonist lacks.”
The Hungry Ghosts: A Parable of Human Greed
At its thematic core, Ballad of a Small Player is a parable about insatiable desire. The “Hungry Ghosts” become a recurring motif — representing Doyle’s moral bankruptcy and humanity’s endless appetite for more: money, power, absolution.
Berger visualizes this through repetition — the spinning roulette wheels, the hypnotic baccarat cards, the glowing neon signs reflecting in Doyle’s half-empty glass. The world itself becomes a gambling hall where even redemption feels like a game of chance.
Volker Bertelmann’s Score: The Sound of Impending Collapse
Oscar-winning composer Volker Bertelmann (All Quiet on the Western Front, A House of Dynamite) delivers another masterclass in tension. His score is built on pulsing piano rhythms, deep string drones, and uneasy silences that stretch like the seconds before a card is flipped.
Bertelmann explained his approach in a recent Netflix interview:
“I wanted the score to sound like the moment a gambler holds his breath before a bet — suspense mixed with delusion. Every note should feel like a decision you can’t undo.”
The result is a sonic experience that propels even the slowest scenes, filling the void left by the film’s emotional restraint. His music is the heartbeat Doyle no longer feels.
Ballad of a Small Player: Strengths vs. Weaknesses
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| Colin Farrell’s haunting, restrained performance | Emotionally detached screenplay |
| Fala Chen’s breakout role as Dao Ming | Lack of character development for Doyle |
| Gorgeous cinematography by James Friend | Slow pacing and uneven tension |
| Volker Bertelmann’s evocative score | Predictable redemption arc |
| Strong visual storytelling by Berger | Style often overshadows substance |
Themes of Addiction, Guilt, and Spiritual Ruin
The film’s haunting atmosphere draws from The Gambler (1974) and In Bruges — tragicomic tales of men lost in cycles of excess. But Ballad of a Small Player places that existential despair against an East Asian spiritual backdrop, offering a cross-cultural study of greed and redemption.
Still, despite its ambition, the film’s spiritual overtones feel more decorative than profound. Doyle’s supposed redemption — or his inability to achieve it — arrives with little emotional weight, making the ending feel more like a quiet surrender than a revelation.
Verdict: A Visually Gorgeous, Spiritually Hollow Gamble
Ultimately, Ballad of a Small Player feels like watching someone bet their last chip and shrug when they lose. Its aesthetic grandeur can’t quite mask its emotional vacancy.
Berger’s film is a meditation on human failure — beautifully filmed but curiously detached. While the craftsmanship is undeniable, it’s a film that asks you to feel deeply but doesn’t give you much to hold onto.
Still, for viewers drawn to mood over momentum, and for those who appreciate meticulous filmmaking and understated performances, Ballad of a Small Player is worth a watch. Just don’t expect it to hit the jackpot.
Watch Ballad of a Small Player If You Liked:
- The Gambler (1974)
- In Bruges
- The Forgiven (2021)
- Conclave (2024)
MVP: Fala Chen as Dao Ming
Among its stars, Fala Chen emerges as the MVP — her serene yet tragic performance elevates every scene. Known for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and HBO’s The Undoing, Chen proves herself a global powerhouse capable of carrying emotional weight without a word.
She gives the story a soul — one the protagonist can’t find within himself.
FAQs
No. It’s based on Lawrence Osborne’s 2014 novel, which blends fiction with observations from real gambling subcultures in Macau.
The film is directed by Edward Berger, known for All Quiet on the Western Front and Conclave.
Filming took place primarily in Macau, Hong Kong, and the U.K., capturing the region’s glittering casino architecture and humid backstreets.
The film runs approximately 100 minutes and is rated R for language, mature themes, and brief violence.
If you admire visual storytelling, strong performances, and slow-burn character studies — yes. But if you want high-stakes emotional drama, you might walk away unsatisfied.
