NEED TO KNOW
Colin Farrell is caught up in the casino lifestyle in his latest film.
On Tuesday, Aug. 19, Netflix released the first trailer for Ballad of a Small Player, directed by Edward Berger (Conclave, All Quiet on the Western Front).
Adapted from Lawrence Osborne’s novel, the film stars Farrell as Lord Doyle, who is shown gambling and partying in China. The trailer features minimal dialogue, and Farrell, 49, is seen running through the streets and accosting casino employees at one point.
Ballad of a Small Player also stars Fala Chen, Alex Jennings, Adrienne Lau, Jason Tobin and Tilda Swinton, who portrays a private investigator looking into Lord Doyle.
Netflix
“Lord Doyle is laying low in Macau — spending his days and nights on the casino floors, drinking heavily and gambling what little money he has left,” reads a synopsis. “Struggling to keep up with his fast-rising debts, he is offered a lifeline by the mysterious Dao Ming, a casino employee with secrets of her own.”
“However, in hot pursuit is Cynthia Blithe — a private investigator ready to confront Doyle with what he is running from,” the synopsis adds. “As Doyle tries to climb to salvation, the confines of reality start to close in.”
Ballad of a Small Player marks Berger’s return to the screen after the success of last year’s Conclave. “I would say if Conclave is a really well-constructed chess game, very architectural, this embraces chaos and opera,” the Swiss-Austrian filmmaker told Deadline last December.
Among Berger’s collaborators on the new movie are director of photography James Friend and composer Volker Bertelmann, who also worked on his Oscar-winning 2022 remake All Quiet on the Western Front.
Netflix
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Farrell, fresh off his award-winning turn in the titular role of The Penguin, also stars in this year’s A Big Bold Beautiful Journey (in theaters Sept. 19) with Margot Robbie.
Ballad of a Small Player is in select theaters Oct. 15, then streaming on Netflix Oct. 29.
