All addictions are obviously undesirable, but there's something about a gambling addiction that truly unsettles me. I'm extremely risk-averse to begin with, and I don't really like spending my money at the best of times, so the thought of routinely betting my savings account on something I have absolutely no control over gives me hives.
And that's where The Gambler works best: at recreating that stress. For much of the duration, we see basically everything through James Caan's eyes. His anxieties become our anxieties, and you want to throttle the guy because of it, or at least scream at him to stop taking those goddamn bets. It's a truly effective bit of character work, made all the better by Caan's performance and that particular '70s look, which really captures the seediness of this lifestyle.
The movie probably could've stood to dig even deeper, honestly (though that might just be my love of Uncut Gems talking), but it's still gripping and uncompromising stuff. Dude needs to take Kenny Rogers's advice before it's too late.
Grade: A-
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