REVIEW #20 Molly’s Game (2017)

Molly’s Game is a film directed by Aaron Sorkin, based on the true events detailed in the 2014 memoir of the same name by Molly Bloom. The film follows Molly as she is targeted by the FBI for the high stakes underground poker empire that she had run for a number of years which included some of the most famous, richest and dangerous men in the world.

CAST & THE ACTING (8.5/10)

Molly is played by Jessica Chastain and she delivers a very strong performance, portraying this extremely smart, driven and calculated women as she struggles with the risks that come with her line of work. Other cast members include Idris Elba who plays her lawyer Charlie Jaffey, Michael Cera as the infamous ‘Player X’ and Kevin Costner as Mollys father Larry Bloom. I think the entire cast done really well! Cera really showed the vindictive, cruel nature of ‘Player X’ which was very different to the usual roles I have seen him in, so I was pleasantly surprised there. So a strong score for a strong cast and performance here.

THE PLOT & THE STORYLINE (8.5/10)

I really liked the plot of this film, the fact that this was based on a true events that were detailed in a published memoir by Molly Bloom really gets you invested in the story. It made me go away and research who these unnamed players were rumoured to be and you may be surprised by the real actor who is apparently ‘Player X’. I like how the film switches from present day and flashbacks to tell the story of how Molly rose from an injury that ruined her promising Skiing career, to the leader of this huge, underground high stakes poker empire. This plot is really exciting which keeps your attention throughout the whole film and that’s why i feel like it deserves a high score here.

CINEMATOGRAPHY & SPECIAL EFFECTS (7/10)

The cinematography was kept simple and no special effects were used which is what I would expect from a film like this because it doesn’t need any of that distraction from the story telling. So I have given an average 7 out of 10 here because there was nothing that justified a higher score but what was done, was kept simple and was done well. 

OVERALL (8/10)

I really enjoyed this film, it’s always good to have a film based on true events and the fact that it’s almost a guessing game in terms of the high profile names were involved in this underground poker world really kept it exciting. Chastain delivered a very strong performance as the leading actress, the plot kept me interested for the entire duration of the film. I would certainly recommend this film and it’s sure to have you googling who these high profile players were, people seem to have sussed out who Player X was and that may surprise a lot of you! 

Thanks for reading and let me know what you think of the film if you watch it!

Callan