Doomtomylo a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Brenda The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Hattie I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

jtncsmistad James Caan is Axel Freed, a gambling addict hell-bent on self-destruction in the gritty 1974 crime drama "The Gambler".A college literature professor by day, Axel wages a vicious war with himself off campus during his off hours, shattering the limits of both underground and legit wagers. Axel knows full well that the odds against him are recklessly daunting. Dangerously so. Nevertheless, we come to learn that this is a deeply troubled soul, and a guy who has long since succumbed to a ceaseless struggle to quench an insatiable thirst for "the juice" which betting has insidiously inflicted.James Caan is the man. "The Gambler" is one among a string of classic movies the iconic actor starred in during the '70's ranging from "Brian's Song" to the first two installments of the "The Godfather" saga. Caan's portrayal of Axel is a searingly wrenching performance. He gives us a confoundingly complicated man, one blessed with abundant intelligence and charm yet powerless to break free from the vise grip his all consuming vice has on his rapidly unraveling life.The supporting cast is stellar. Paul Sorvino is perfection as an illegal gambling boss who reveals that he has at least a semblance of a heart. Lauren Hutton is underdeveloped as Axel's conflicted girlfriend, though she does have a compelling scene in a Vegas hotel room toward the end of the film that emotionally foreshadows the grim fate destined to befall her beau. Jacqueline Brookes makes her own indelible impression as Axel's heartbroken and exploited mother. And Burt Young impresses during his brief but explosive appearance as a wise guy enforcer only a couple of years shy of his career blasting off with the continuing role of Paulie in the first of the "Rocky" films franchise.While Caan is exceptional here, I would liked to have seen a more detailed exploration into why his character of Axel behaves the way that he does. Much is intimated, but little is actually disclosed. His conduct and choices, while for the most part abominable, are as fascinating as they are baffling. But what drives the seemingly insane behavior of this fellow who clearly has an exceptional capacity to think, interpret and express at such a high level? Czechoslovakian Director Karel Reisz ("The French Lieutenant's Woman", "Sweet Dreams" but not a lot else, actually) leaves it largely to our own conjecture to determine why in the hell Axel insists on barreling completely out of control down a one-way highway to oblivion. And the resultant aftertaste is not nearly as palatable as it could have been.The final image of "The Gambler" is a grotesquely grim one to be sure. Yet we get the unsettling feeling that Axel was never going to be genuinely "satisfied" until it got to this horrifically ugly point. And I suppose that after all this is the enduring point that Reisz is making with this sordidly squalid story. It was just such a murky journey he took us on to reach this cacophonous climax."The Gambler" didn't hit the jackpot for me, so I'm gonna "roll 6" for this one based off of Caan's enigmatic yet engrossing performance and for the wonderful work of the superb supporting cast.

bkoganbing When your bookmaker tells you that you've got a gambling problem, better listen because you really do. Paul Sorvino who goes up and down on the roller-coaster with his best customer James Caan is quite the diagnostician. Caan bets with reckless abandon, but there ain't what George Peppard on The A Team called the 'jazz' without the risk.Caan stars as The Gambler. A professor of English literature and grandson of Morris Carnovsky a self made furniture tycoon Caan has a horrible gambling addiction. The 150 minute running time shows his highs and lows during a spree where he wins and loses some incredible sums. The difficulty in this role is that this man is truly a degenerate individual who uses and abuses people, some of the same people like some of us change our socks. His grandfather, his mother Jacqueline Brooks, girlfriend Lauren Hutton. No one is spared not even one of his students Carl Crudup whom he corrupts. Yet Caan is likable and charming and intelligent. It's what makes his corrupting venality that much more tragic.My first time seeing Paul Sorvino in a substantial role was in The Gambler. The man is a dangerous criminal yet he's also likable, wise and philosophic. He sure diagnoses Caan right. The cast has a few familiar faces like Carmine Caridi as another bookmaker, Burt Young in an extended sequence as a loan shark enforcer and James Woods very briefly as a bank officer.This is one of James Caan's best roles, maybe his best outside of Sonny Corleone, not to be missed.

punishmentpark An intense unfolding of the fate of a headstrong gambler who at times thinks he is blessed, though certainly, he must feel cursed just the same at others.The gambler's profession is teaching in college, and those lecture scenes were a bit too obvious for me, though in a way interesting nonetheless. The confrontation with his mighty grandfather (since his father passed away long ago) is inevitable, but when it's there, it's not as grand as one would expect.The way director Karel Reisz (never heard of him before) mixes up scenes and uses an uneasy soundtrack even when it seems inappropriate, seems obvious in a way, but it really works well. Even that big, 'holy' scene that is referred to on the theatrical poster works perfectly in - shall I say it? - mysterious ways.The casual portrayal of a (part of) society that is divided into degenerates, blacks, Jews and loan sharks is another factor that has its effect in a dark way.Finally, I didn't know that James Caan was at the time of filming addicted to cocaine, but it does explain his intense acting. Lauren Hutton is his beautiful, charismatic love interest, who does a brilliant scene in the hotel room in Vegas. And there's plenty of other brilliant supporting roles by quite a few familiar faces.'The gambler' is really a trip - maybe not perfect, but awful close. 9 out of 10.

tieman64 Before Steve McQueen's "Shame" was director Karel Reisz's "The Gambler". Both films watch as an addict and masochist descends into self-obliteration, only here we have actor James Caan as Alex Freed, a Jewish professor who is addicted to gambling.Several sequences flesh out Freed's state of mind. Before his students he relates two stories, one in which human willpower is trumpeted over "reality" - the gambler's steadfast self-belief – and another in which Freed essentially states that "Americans don't take risk". Freed, of course, takes irrational risks. That's his modus operandi.James Caan has stated that he regards "The Gambler" as containing his finest performance. He's excellent, but the film itself consists of nothing but sequences in which Freed makes bets, loses and then proceeds optimistically to the next bet. The film then climaxes with a powerful sequence in which Freed visits a prostitute and provokes a fight with a pimp. This pimp slashes Freed's face with a blade. Interestingly, Freed seems to delight in being cut, simultaneously aroused by his desires for self-destruction and unconsciously disgusted with his life (he seems to deplore his wealthy family members, seeking penance for both "their behaviour" and his own oppositional lifestyle choices). The film costars Burt Young as Carmine. He's terrific as a loan shark who shifts from close friend to terrifying brute.7/10 – See "The Hustler" and "California Split".