Is Mark Wahlberg finally on the verge of that elusive first Best Actor win? Obviously he's not going to get it for Transformers, but later this year he'll make a grab at the gold in The Gambler, a remake of the 1974 film that stands as one of James Caan's defining roles. Directed by Rupert Wyatt and co-starring Brie Larson, John Goodman, Michael K. Williams, and Jessica Lange, the film has Wahlberg as a teacher with the kind of gambling problem that leads to some serious problems with some bad people.
The first trailer has been released and it's pretty vulgar, hence the red band tag, but it also does a nice job of showing the desperation and compulsion in Wahlberg's character, and the quality of his performance. This is big gear shift for Wyatt who last directed Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and he appears to be right on point. Will it stand up to the original, though? For that we'll have to wait until December 19th to find out. Check out the trailer below.
