Netflix has just added Colin Farrell’s newest thriller movie

The film comes from the Oscar-nominated filmmaker behind All Quiet on the Western Front and Conclave.

Based on the 2014 novel of the same name by Lawrence Osborne (The Forgiven), the film sees the national treasure play Lord Doyle, a high-stakes gambler laying low in Macau in China.

There, he spends his days and nights on the casino floors, drinking heavily and gambling what little money he has left.

Struggling to keep up with his fast-rising debts, he is offered a lifeline by the mysterious Dao Ming (Fala Chen, Shang-Chi), a casino employee with secrets of her own.

In hot pursuit, however, is Cynthia Blithe (Oscar-winner Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton) - a private investigator ready to confront Doyle with what he is running from.

"As Doyle tries to climb to salvation, the confines of reality start to close in," the plot synopsis adds.

Ballad of a Small Player is director Edward Berger's much-anticipated follow-up to Conclave, the 2024 papal thriller that was a smash hit with both audiences and critics.

Before then, Berger made the Netflix war drama All Quiet on the Western Front, for which he received an Academy Award nomination in the Best Adapted Screenplay category.

Ballad of a Small Player had its world premiere at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival in September, before being released in select cinemas on 17 October.

So far, the movie has earned mixed reviews from critics.

While many singled out Farrell's lead turn and the film's visuals for praise, some criticised the story's twists and blend of different genres.

You can read a sample of some of the positive reviews for Ballad of a Small Player below:

AwardsWatch: "Ballad of a Small Player is a trippy, psychedelic anxiety attack held together by Farrell’s extraordinary performance and Berger’s precise eye."

Little White Lies: "The Swiss-Austrian director crafts a welcome sensorial encapsulation of this see-sawing between grandeur and disgrace, largely helped by the composer Volker Bertelmann’s big, operatic numbers."

The Observer (UK): "Farrell is excellent, peeling away accents and booze-stained suits as he hides himself from the sins of his past and the appetites of the present."

TheWrap: "Campy and bombastic at its core, this is ultimately a movie about second chances, touting a magnificent charmed performance from Colin Farrell"

Ballad of a Small Player is streaming on Netflix now. Check out its trailer below:

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