I love Mark Wahlberg. I think he’s a good actor, but this remake of the 1974 “The Gambler” that starred James Caan doesn’t quite cut it.

The movie drags for the first hour and twenty minutes. The best part is the last 30 minutes. It’s almost worth seeing just for the last 30 minutes, but the key word in my sentence is ALMOST!!

Mark Wahlberg plays Jim Bennett who is both a high Stakes Gambler and a Literary Professor at a local college. He borrows from a gangster (Michael K. Williams) and puts his own life up for collateral. Jim then pits the gangster against the operator of a gambling ring (Alvin Ing). The story unfolds from there…

I do have to say that the dialog for the gangsters was awesome. Their gift for gab was a lot more than I expected.

The 1974 version of “The Gambler” is available via Netflix. I believe that you will find more enjoyment watching that version.

This is a 2 Star Movie!