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Ballad of a Small Player

Play trailer 2:17 Poster for Ballad of a Small Player R Now Playing 1h 41m Mystery & Thriller Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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58% Tomatometer 83 Reviews Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
When his past and his debts start to catch up with him, a high-stakes gambler laying low in Macau encounters a kindred spirit who might just hold the key to his salvation.
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Ballad of a Small Player

Ballad of a Small Player

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Critics Consensus

Going all in with a committed Colin Farrell and a memorably opulent presentation of Macau, Ballad of a Small Player too often squanders its virtues by doubling down on excess to diminishing returns.

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Critics Reviews

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Donald Clarke Irish Times It remains to be seen if viewers feel [the] well-constructed ambience compensates for a rickety edit that feels hurried and half-finished. A classy film that doesn’t entirely make sense. Rated: 3/5 Oct 24, 2025 Full Review Robbie Collin Daily Telegraph (UK) But the psychological grace notes that make the opening act so intriguing get lost in the chaos – while the climactic twist, served up with the obligatory here’s-what-really-happened recap, asks the viewer...to swallow too much. Rated: 2/5 Oct 22, 2025 Full Review Barry Levitt Empire Magazine Though Farrell does great work and the film is a visual feast, Ballad Of A Small Player is an impenetrable story of redemption that’s both too obvious and too baffling. Rated: 2/5 Oct 22, 2025 Full Review John Stark Mac the Movie Guy As a fan of Edward Berger’s, the fact that Ballad Of A Small Player doesn’t work for me is almost painful. But it isn’t as painful as the pacing in this film, which is at odds with its terrific, and far more urgent score. Rated: 55/100 Oct 27, 2025 Full Review Stefan Pape Common Sense Media This is a stylistic psychological thriller that delivers on multiple fronts. Rated: 4/5 Oct 27, 2025 Full Review Violeta Kovacsics Otroscines.com Ballad of a Small Player is so enthralled by Macau's sumptuous spaces...that at times everything seems like an excuse to film in these places. [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 3/5 Oct 24, 2025 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Deal Mae In Saw the twist coming, so only half a star off. Colin Farrell is a raw nerve in this, with his character’s blurry need for self-implosion redeemed by his capacity for change. If his world feels decadently claustrophobic when he is at his worst, just wait, the payoff is worth the slow burn. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 10/19/25 Full Review Mateus O GG! well done but saw the twist coming Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/26/25 Full Review Evan C Edward Berger's #BalladOfASmallPlayer is a stylish & kinetic look at gambling addiction & a window into the glitzy world of Macau. As a portrait of a struggling gambler it's well executed. And Colin Farrell is all in. But it doesn't quite transcend it's premise further than that. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 10/18/25 Full Review Garth N Flawed, but great. Recommended. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 10/16/25 Full Review Stephen C Success in 1 hour and 41 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/15/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Ballad of a Small Player

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Movie Info

Synopsis When his past and his debts start to catch up with him, a high-stakes gambler laying low in Macau encounters a kindred spirit who might just hold the key to his salvation.
Director
Edward Berger
Producer
Edward Berger, Mike Goodridge, Matthew James Wilkinson
Screenwriter
Rowan Joffe
Distributor
Netflix
Production Co
Stigma Films, Good Chaos
Rating
R
Genre
Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 15, 2025, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 29, 2025
Runtime
1h 41m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital
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