A high-stakes gambler named Lord Doyle has taken residence in Macau, a gamblers’ paradise in Southeast China. As his charade and plans start to fall apart thanks to his mounting debts, a pair of chance encounters wind up changing the course of his life.
Edward Berger brings the film adaptation of Lawrence Osborne’s novel to life with the help of Colin Farrell, Tilda Swinton, Deanie Ip, and Fala Chen. The Conclave director was tasked with showing the most vile displays of maximalism. More than just objects and decor, the greed shown on this level was simply horrendous. This was a film about a small-town gambler living beyond the dreams of avarice. His lust for money and distaste for legal transactions are what keep him moving. We learn very quickly that he’s not your typical protagonist, nor is he good at gambling. But as the film continues and certain events transpire, the anti-good-sense gambling addict and alcoholic learns a sobering lesson.
Colin Farrell plays Lord Doyle, a conman who steals from the elderly and goes as far as faking his own death to avoid authorities. Moving from one casino to another (usually to evade a payment), his insatiable thirst for money leads him to a big-time player who runs the house, Grandma (Deanie Ip). There, he meets Dao Ming, played by Fala Chen, who could be a love interest, but is more interested in luring gamblers into taking lines of credit. After a handful of sobering losses to Grandma, Lord Doyle (who isn’t a Lord at all) sets off on a downward spiral and puts his life at risk.
A not-so-chance meeting with Blithe (Tilda Swinton) paves the way for paranoia to make itself comfortable. She was hired to find him after he stole money from an elderly client to fund his extravagant activities. To clear himself of all his debts (pay back the old woman, clear lines of credit, clear his balance at a hotel, and Dao Ming’s), he needs one gigantic win. A win so big that it would be historic.
At first, the film seemed to give too good an example of the seven deadly sins. Ordering food far past work hours and even requesting the most expensive items to buy him time to escape the bill, the man was clearly upset. One of the greedier and gluttonous scenes was when things were coming together in his favor, his hotel room was overflowing with seafood. He ate past what he could handle and vomited while lying on the floor. He admitted he hated cigars and champagne, but continued to smoke and drink, which was another example of many showing a deadly cycle. In the end, the film turned out to be Farrell’s greatest work, showing why he’s sought out for niche projects. There’s also a plot twist in the end that raises the value of the film.
Ballad of a Small Player gets a 9 out of 10. I was hard on Farrell for A Big Bold Beautiful Journey because, plainly, it wasn’t a good fit. But he absolutely nailed this role. I have no doubts this will do well on Netflix.
Ballad of a Small Player is available now to stream on Netflix.
-Jon Jones
Photos: Courtesy of Netflix
Genre: Drama/Mystery
Rating: R
Runtime: 1 hr 41 minutes
Trailer: Watch
U.S. Release Date: October 29, 2025