Written by Robert Scucci | Published
I’ve been experiencing a lot of unintended movie pairings lately, and in 2025 Ballad for the little player make for a perfect piece for Adam Sandler starring in 2019 Uncut gems. In the film, Brendan Reilly’s (Colin Farrell) behavior reflects the same kind of anxiety-inducing gambling that Sandler’s Howard Ratner faced. Instead of betting on sports, we are in Macau throwing our hands at baccarat, with equally disastrous results.
Ballad for the little player it has its thanks to the supernatural, which means that the succession of misfortunes and acts of despair that follow are signs of hungry ghosts that feed insatiably on greed and wealth. These ghosts operate with no regard for the collateral damage left behind by the increasingly reckless decisions made by their human counterparts, making the whole thing sound like the kind of nightmare you’d expect after losing hundreds of thousands of dollars and still refusing to stop chasing the high level of big wins.
Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop
Long-time gamblers often stick to their own set of superstitions to fuel the hot competition. Brendan Reilly, for example, won’t play baccarat without his lucky yellow gloves, whether he’s lost nearly seven figures swindling clients back in the UK or been swindled by loan sharks in Macau while posing as Lord Doyle, a wealthy aristocrat who always focuses on the finer things in life.
Hopping between penthouse suites, stuffing his face with five-star cuisine, and washing down the floor with expensive champagne, Brendan finds himself in a tight spot where his creditors, and the casinos associated with them, catch a glimpse of his game. They call him the white ghost, a supernatural being driven by greed and desire. His habits finally catch up with him when UK detective Cynthia Blithe (Tilda Swinton) tracks him down, demanding that he return the hundreds of thousands of dollars he stole, not knowing that his financial situation is now worse than he could have imagined.
Brendan has a different perspective to navigate his worsening situation, which involves his new relationship with debt broker Dao Ming (Fala Chen) and the recent trauma he endured when one of his clients killed himself after failing to pay his debts. Unable to function without the urgency of his next big score, Brendan increasingly prefers to disappear, unable to break the cycle that will land him in jail or send him to an early grave.
The Extremely Stylish Downward Spiral
Colin Farrell’s portrayal of a desperate man who doesn’t know when to stop showcases Sandler’s performance. Uncut gems while staying firmly in its lane. It’s the same type of personality in a very different environment. Uncut gems thrives on the grit of New York City, while Ballad for the little player it’s high on penthouse suites, colorful casino floors, and elaborate Chinese architecture.
What really separates the two films is how the desire to be greedy is defined by internal consumption Ballad for the little player. Brendan isn’t just hungry for his next big win. He tries to fill the bottomless pit that is his soul with rich food, the best spirits, and whatever excess he can hold. When he gets up, he can’t pump the brakes. When he crashes, his desperation becomes a force of nature because giving up is not an option in his mind. Believing that the world exists for his own taking, he does not fully understand how far he has fallen over the edge.
To witness the slow decline of one man as his excesses take the light out of his eyes, you can broadcast. Ballad for the little player on Netflix. If you want to keep anxiety going, Uncut gems waiting for Max.
