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Poster of the film Ballad of a Small Player

Ballad of a Small Player

Mystery Thriller Crime Drama English


Amid the glittering casinos of Macau, a gambler running from his past — and his debts — becomes fascinated by an enigmatic woman at the baccarat table.

Cast:Colin Farrell, Fala Chen, Tilda Swinton, Deanie Ip, Alex Jennings, Jason Tobin, Adrienne Lau, Anthony Wong Chau-Sang, Jessica Lai, Margaret Cheung, Alan K. Chang
Director:Edward Berger
Editor:Nick Emerson
Camera:James Friend

All Guild Reviews of "Ballad of a Small Player"

Image of scene from the film Ballad of a Small Player

Visually Dazzling Film Never Quite Hits the Emotional Jackpot

Fox in morning light

Udita Jhunjhunwala | Mint writing for Scroll.in

Thu, October 30 2025

‘Conclave’ director Edward Berger’s new film stars Colin Farrell, Fala Chen, Tilda Swinton, Deanie Ip and Alex Jennings.

Edward Berger makes a dramatic and thematic shift from his previous movie Conclave with Ballad of a Small Player. Conclave was a taut, fictional feature about the secretive papal elections at the Vatican. Ballad of a Small Player, which is out on Netflix, is an occasionally tense, atmospheric and over-stylised character study set in Macau’s glittering gambling halls. Adapted by screenwriter Rowan Joffe from Lawrence Osborne’s 2014 novel, the film explores cycles of addiction and greed against a backdrop of ritual, superstition and neon decadence. Colin Farrell plays Lord Doyle, a British gambler with mounting debts and a troubled past.

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