The Gambler poster

The Gambler (2014)

Film · 1h 51m · Rated R

Crime, Drama, Thriller

A literature professor’s high-stakes gambling addiction leads him into a bleak, suspenseful world of criminals.

Intimate. A full-attention watch at a measured pace. Emotionally it is heavy.

Streaming on Prime Video, Paramount+, Kanopy (free) and Hoopla (free).

The Gambler parents guide

No surprises for an R: some innuendo or implied sex and strong violence.

Scare
Not scary
Jump scares
None noted
Gore
Light gore
Some blood or injury, briefly.
Violence
Strong violence
Violence is frequent or intense.
Sex and nudity
Mild
Mild means innuendo, or sex implied off screen, with no nudity.
Language
Strong
Frequent strong profanity or slurs.

How we rate: an AI reads what is known about each title and tags it 0 to 3; we check the tags against a hand-rated set and correct them by hand when readers tell us. Estimates, not a scene-by-scene review. Spot a mistake? Tell us.

Three questions

Is The Gambler scary?
No. The Gambler is not a scary watch.
How gory is The Gambler?
Light gore and strong violence.
What is The Gambler rated, and is it OK for kids?
It is an R, with strong violence and frequent strong language. Keep it for adults.

What is The Gambler about?

Literature professor Jim Bennett leads a secret life as a high-stakes gambler. Always a risk-taker, Bennett bets it all when he borrows from a gangster and offers his own life as collateral. Staying one step ahead, he pits his creditor against the operator of an illicit gambling ring while garnering the attention of Frank, a paternalistic loan shark. As his relationship with a student deepens, Bennett must risk everything for a second chance.

Does it have a happy ending? (spoiler-safe)

It leaves the ending open to interpretation.

Cast and crew

Directed byRupert Wyatt
StarringMark Wahlberg, John Goodman, Brie Larson, Michael Kenneth Williams, George Kennedy, Jessica Lange

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The Gambler is on our Crime on Paramount+ and Crime on Hoopla lists.

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Uses the TMDB API; not endorsed or certified by TMDB. Intensity, content, tone and pace tags are CouchRot's own.