By John Corrado

Last week, Paramount released The Gambler on Blu-ray.  A remake of the 1974 James Caan classic, the film follows Jim Bennet (Mark Wahlberg), a depressed university professor who moonlights as a high stakes gambler and owes money, forcing him to connect with a loan shark (John Goodman), and complicating his relationship to one of his brightest literary students (Brie Larson).

Although the story has a few loose threads, The Gambler features some sharply written and stylishly executed scenes, and offers a prime example of a pretty good film that is elevated by the solid performances.  Mark Wahlberg is quite good, portraying a man caught at an existential crossroads, with Brie Larson and John Goodman providing excellent supporting players in their few scenes.  It’s these actors who make The Gambler worth a look at home.

The Blu-ray includes deleted and extended scenes as well as multiple featuretts.

The Gambler is 112 minutes and rated 14A.