The Gambler (2014) changes from the the degenerate gambling professor, now named
Jim Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) instead of
Axel Freed (James Caan, is his addiction is to Casino table games rather than sports betting. other than that it IS about the same plot BUT Bennett is even MORE of a fool in his play than Freed was. Freed at least tried to handicap his basketball games. Bennet has NO money management and plays blackjack in a way where he will ALWAYS lose. John Goodman's character of
Frank is similar to Paul Sorvino as
Hips in the original in that he is kind of pulling for Bennet to "get out of the trap" BUT it is a much smaller part than in the original. Domenick Lombardozzi as
Big Ernie, Frank's "muscle", is kind of similar to Burt Young's character of
Carmine in the original.
all in all I can see WHY people kind of "threw rocks" at the re-make. the overall move has a much slower pace and Bennett's complete lack of money management and totally stupid play would offend even the WORST degenerate gambler no matter WHAT their game. also the sound track just doesn't have the "zip" of the original with it's use of cuts from Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 1 in D. it IS worth recording, though just for John Goodman as Frank the loan shark on "getting to a level of Fukk You" with 30 minutes remaining in the movie:
Frank: You get up two and a half million dollars, any azzhole in the world knows what to do: you get a house with a 25 year roof, an indestructible Japo-economy shitebox, you put the rest into the system at three to five percent to pay your taxes and that's your base, get me? That's your fortress of fukking solitude. That puts you, for the rest of your life,
at a level of fukk you. Somebody wants you to do something? fukk you. Boss pisses you off? fukk you. Own your house. Have a couple bucks in the bank. Don't drink. That's all I have to say to anybody on any social level. Did your grandfather take risks?
Jim Bennett: Yes.
Frank: I guarantee he did it from a position of fukk you. A wise man's life is based around fukk you. The United States of America is based on fukk you. England? You have an Army? Greatest Navy in the history of mankind? Fukk you!!! Blow me!!! We'll fukk it up ourselves, which we did
plays again in EPIX2 Tuesday October 6th @ 9:50am & 5:00pm. also Wednesday October 7th @ 12:05am. once again NOT great BUT worth viewing for comparison and John Goodman's monologue near the end
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