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Ballad of a Small Player
British psychological thriller film From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Ballad of a Small Player is a 2025 British black comedy psychological thriller film directed by Edward Berger from a screenplay by Rowan Joffé, based on the 2014 novel The Ballad of a Small Player by Lawrence Osborne. The film stars Colin Farrell, Fala Chen, Deanie Ip, Alex Jennings, and Tilda Swinton.[1]
Ballad of a Small Player had its world premiere at the 52nd Telluride Film Festival on 29 August 2025, and was released in select cinemas in the United States on 15 October 2025, and in the United Kingdom on 17 October 2025, before its streaming debut by Netflix on 29 October 2025.[3][1] The film received mixed reviews from critics, while Farrell's performance received praise.[4]
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Plot
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Brendan Reilly, a disgraced Irish financier posing as the aristocratic "Lord Doyle," lives in Macau after fleeing his financial crimes in the United Kingdom. An inveterate gambler, Reilly floats between luxury hotels and opulent casinos, relying on his wealthy persona to stave off creditors as he grows increasingly dependent on alcohol, superstition, and the fleeting thrill of gambling.
Reilly's behavior draws notice from casino employees and affluent regulars, who regard him as a gweilo, a "white devil". With mounting debts and dwindling funds, he continues to try his luck at the baccarat tables. There Reilly meets Dao Ming, an enigmatic credit broker.
Comforted by Reilly after one of her despondent clients jumps to his death, a guilt-stricken Dao brings him to a temple on the water for the first night of the Ghost Festival. Though she fears her own luck has run out, Reilly believes his fortune can turn in both their favors. However, he wakes up alone with a number written on his hand.
As his losing streak continues, Reilly is tracked down by investigator Cynthia Blithe, who gives him until the following day to pay back the funds he embezzled in his former life, or be deported to stand trial. Unable to find Dao, he approaches fellow expatriate con man Adrian Lippett for help only to realize he is cooperating with Blithe, and contemplates suicide. The increasingly desperate and delirious Reilly dines at a restaurant he cannot afford as he anxiously waits out his deadline, and is seemingly reunited with Dao as he suffers a heart attack.
Reilly awakens in a floating home on Lamma Island where Dao nurses him back to health. Growing close as they confide their deepest regrets to each other, she suggests they are kindred spirits. Left on his own, Reilly realizes the number on his hand is the combination to Dao's locked shed, where he discovers sacks of money submerged underwater.
Unable to stop himself, Reilly takes the cash to the casinos and finds himself on an improbable winning streak. He pays off his hotel debts, but the supernatural nature of his success results in his banishment from all of Macau’s casinos. So, the ravenous Reilly fears he has become a hungry ghost.
Convincing his hotel to let him place a final $8 million bet on a single hand of baccarat, Reilly urges Blithe to take the money he owes her client to pursue her own new life. His game is unexpectedly joined by Lippett, who poses as an Italian prince to match his bet, but victory falls to Reilly. Leaving Blithe with her repayment and a kiss, Reilly departs with his winnings in search of Dao. Fellow gambler Grandma offers him a game with 100-to-1 odds, but he declines, and she reveals that Dao drowned herself on the first night of the festival.
Realizing that his experiences with Dao were hallucinations, Reilly leaves behind his lucky gloves and returns to the temple, burning all his money as an offering. Standing at the water’s edge amid the festival fireworks, his reflection appears to become Dao herself, as Reilly remains haunted by her ghost. During the credits, he and Blithe share a surreal dance in the hotel ballroom.
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Cast
- Colin Farrell as Brendan Reilly / "Lord Doyle"
- Fala Chen as Dao-Ming
- Tilda Swinton as Cynthia Blithe
- Deanie Ip as "Grandma"
- Alex Jennings as Adrian Lippett
Additionally, Anthony Wong makes a cameo appearance as an executive of the Macanese casino.[5][6]
Production
The film is directed by Edward Berger[7] and written by Rowan Joffé, based on Lawrence Osborne's 2014 novel The Ballad of a Small Player. Mike Goodridge is producing the film for Good Chaos, along with Berger for Nine Hours, as well as Matthew James Wilkinson.[8] In April 2024, Colin Farrell was cast in the lead role. Later that month, Tilda Swinton joined the cast.[9][10] In May 2024, Fala Chen joined the cast.[11] In May 2025, Deannie Yip and Alex Jennings were also revealed to have been in the cast.[3]
Filming
Principal photography began on 26 June 2024, in Macau and Hong Kong and wrapped on 25 August.[12]
Release
It had its world premiere at the 52nd Telluride Film Festival on 29 August 2025.[13] It also screened in the Special Presentations section of the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival on 9 September 2025.[14][15]
Reception
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 48% of 144 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "Going all in with a committed Colin Farrell and a memorably opulent presentation of Macau, Ballad of a Small Player too often squanders its virtues by doubling down on excess to diminishing returns."[16] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 46 out of 100, based on 29 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[17]
Accolades
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References
External links
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