Published on: August 20, 2025, 02:29h.

Updated on: August 20, 2025, 02:43h.

• Colin Farrell is aiming for an Oscar nod with his role in the Netflix film, “Ballad of a Small Player”
• He portrays a gambling addict navigating the casinos of Macau
• The film premieres in theaters on October 15, followed by its Netflix release on October 29

Netflix is set to unveil a poignant Oscar-worthy film featuring Colin Farrell as a gambling addict entangled in the vibrant casinos of Macau, China.

“Ballad of a Small Player” serves as a psychological thriller that dives into the depths of gambling addiction, framing it as a compulsion not for victory but for loss.

“A true player knows they secretly relish losing,” asserts Farrell’s character, Lord Doyle—a shady British lawyer who escaped to China after misappropriating funds from a senior client.

Directed by Edgar Berger, known for his Oscar-winning adaptation of “All Quiet on the Western Front,” this film closely mirrors the 2014 novel on which it is based. The premise could easily be summarized as “’Leaving Las Vegas’ in Macau.”

Familiar Themes?

The book by British author Lawrence Osborne presents Doyle as a man whose life is enveloped in late-night gambling, excessive drinking, and stays in run-down hotels. He is perpetually haunted by his past and the emptiness that dominates his life.

An elusive chance for redemption appears through Dao-Ming, an enigmatic Chinese woman who might be a sex worker. Their connection ignites a short-lived winning streak at the baccarat tables, but complications arise as Doyle’s debts and history close in on him.

Watch the movie trailer below:

The novel intricately incorporates Chinese superstitions, particularly the notion of hungry ghosts—entities driven by insatiable desires, characterized by “mouths as small as needle eyes and stomachs as deep as caves.”

Doyle’s spiral suggests he may be a ghost himself, blurring lines between reality and illusion, possibly influenced by opium, culminating in a mysterious, supernatural-aligned conclusion.

The film features shooting locations, including the Casino Lisboa, Venetian Macao, Grand Emperor Casino, and Londoner Macao.

“Ballad of a Small Player” premiers in theaters on October 15—ensuring it qualifies for Oscar consideration—and subsequently becomes available on Netflix on October 29.