The Gamble is an Italian released (English speaking) film about a young boy(Matthew Modine) who finds out that his gambling-addict father lost all of his fortunes to a clever woman (Faye Dunaway). In his own bet, he ends up "belonging" to her, and he tries to win his freedom against her, especially when he falls in love with another woman.
I watched this movie because my Grandma wanted to watch a movie and I said if we are watching one, then we are going to watch one of mine. After rejecting a bunch of choices, she looked at a set of 9 Romance Movies, which I got recently. She said I could pick any of the last 3 movies. This was one of them, and this one sounded the most interesting.
The best thing about The Gamble is the leading actress, Faye Dunaway. She is a delight in every scene she is in.
There's really no surprise there, considering some of the other movies I have seen her in, such as Bonnie and Clyde, Chinatown, and my favorite of her most famous roles- Mommie Dearest. Faye's character is a scheming witch, which is what is so delightful to watch from her.
The other actors are fine too, but most are not noteworthy, other than Matthew Modine, most famous for Full Metal Jacket.
The plot is also compelling, but the story itself is fine. Nothing "amazing" but fine. That alone would merit a 9 from me.
However, there were some things I did not like about The Gamble. The cinematography was fuzzy and clearly dated (clearly due to not being preserved as the film is not popular). However, it is better looking than some movies I have seen with that issue (EG: Scrooge from 1935), so there's that to give credit where it's due.
The Gamble is also slow in some parts. In fact, the slow parts were the biggest problem for me, so keep that in mind IF you choose to watch this.
Lastly, there were a couple of pointless sex scenes that, while they were inoffensive, they didn't do much to further the plot.
The Gamble is not a terrible movie, but it was not one I would be the most ecstatic about seeing again. Unless you love romance movies or you want to see Faye Dunaway's performance I don't really recommend it.
For most audience members, The Gamble is a loss for both the main character and the viewer.
Reverse Recommendation: See a different Faye Dunaway movie instead for a better experience, in particular the ones named above.
Note: My Grandma, who picked this movie out, gave the movie a 2/10.
