Over the last few years director Edward Berger has really made a name for himself with his award winning work. Therefore it’s no surprise that viewers were anticipating his latest feature, Ballad of a Small Player, at TIFF 2025. Unfortunately it doesn’t quite live up to his earlier films, and was somewhat of a disappointment.
Ballad of a Small Player tells the story of Lord Doyle (Colin Farrell), a high stakes gambler trying to lay low in Macao and avoid paying his debts. Unfortunately his tastes are high, and his troubles follow him everywhere he goes. After meeting Dao Ming (Fala Chen) he had hopes but realizes she’s not who she seems.
The big problem with the film is that Farrell’s character is not very likable. It’s not that he does bad things, it’s just that he’s boring, and doesn’t offer any real redeeming qualities. This makes it hard to cheer for him, and hard to care about his story. Tilda Swinton role here is not much more than a glorified cameo.
If there’s one good thing about the film, it’s the location. Macao is a beautiful city, and serves as an amazing backdrop. Unfortunately a good location isn’t really a reason to watch something, unless it’s a documentary.
When Ballad of a Small Player premieres on Netflix, it’s one you can pass by. Even if you turn it on, you’ll find out pretty quickly it’s not worth your time watching. There are much better ways to spend your time.
- Rated: R
- Genre: crime, Drama
- Release Date: 9/14/2025
- Directed by: Edward Berger
- Starring: Colin Farrell, Fala Chen, Tilda Swinton
- Produced by: Edward Berger, Matthew James Wilkinson, Mike Goodridge
- Written by: Lawrence Osborne, Rowan Joffe
- Studio: Good Chaos, Nine Hours, Stigma Films
