Molly's Game - movie review
Molly's Game
Plot: The true story of Molly Bloom, an Olympic-class skier who ran the world's most exclusive high-stakes poker game and became an FBI target.
Cast: Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Kevin Costner
Director: Aaron Sorkin
Certificate: 15 (strong language, drug misuse, brief violence)
Runtime: 2hrs 20 mins
Release Date: Monday 1st January 2018
Poker has never been a forte of mine. Not only do I probably have one of the worst poker faces of all time but I haven't the faintest idea of how it truly works. I know a few bits and bobs of information but I can guarantee that if I went to a Vegas poker table, I'd end up homeless, penniless and probably in jail however, one thing I am certain of is that films can make poker look like the most intense sport known to man. Molly's Game signifies the first film released in UK cinemas in 2018 but more importantly, the directorial debut of Aaron Sorkin, one of this generation's best screenwriters who has had the pleasure of working with some of Hollywood's best talents. For his first feature film, he teams with Jessica Chastain and Idris Elba for a movie that will take audiences behind the inner workings of poker and tell a true story of a woman who tried to play the system.
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| The Matrix was real all along. |
Even from the opening scene, any film buff with a keen ear for dialogue will instantly know that they're in for a Sorkin flick. Aaron Sorkin is, unquestionably, one of the most talented screenwriters who ever existed. With films such as The Social Network, A Few Good Men and Steve Jobs under his belt (all with sensational scripts), it comes as no surprise that Molly's Game comes out of the blocks swinging and oozing with Sorkin goodness that despite its flaws, is thrilling to watch. A majority of those thrills are not only thanks to Sorkin but also to Chastain who leads the way from her initial scene and never lets the attention divert away from her for a second. Chastain, who's always been one of the top actresses working today, cements herself with this role as a force to be reckoned with. She delivers the wonderfully penned dialogue by Sorkin with such ease and class that a continual pairing between these two talents could possibly be a future prospect. Through her performance, we are rooting for the success of Molly Bloom as she transitions from an Olympic skiing hopeful to running one of the most competitive poker rings that may or may not have inadvertently got into business with the Russian mafia and whilst none of us necessarily condone many of her actions, the likeable charm and superior intellect that she frequents against her male counterparts make her a presence to behold. Whilst it's Chastain that seems to be receiving the majority of the praise, someone who is equally as deserving and hardly being mentioned in the awards talk is Idris Elba as Charlie Jaffey who is tasked with defending Bloom in court and Elba's performance in this rivals others as one of his best. Similar to Chastain, he is able to rattle off the complex Sorkin dialogue as if it was a nursery rhyme and gives some tremendous monologues to Molly, the court and other lawyers that easily showcase Elba's immense capabilities as an actor. However, it's when the two share the screen together, as they sit in Elba's office to discuss Bloom's forthcoming indictment, that sparks begins to fly and the full potential of Sorkin's script is realised. As for the other supporting cast, they don't get lost in the background per say, but play second fiddle to Chastain and Elba yet all of them are great. Kevin Costner is more than suitable as Bloom's overbearing father who has knack for appearing just as the plot needs him to but also smaller roles like Michael Cera and Chris O'Dowd who make the snappy dialogue work in their favour and delve into their characters that has this infliction for gambling.
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| When your mates trick you into another drink... |
FACT: It is widely believed that "Player X" is based on actor Tobey Maguire.
There are often times, in the film calendar, that I will eagerly anticipate a film due to the director involved. It is not so often that I find myself hyped over the lead screenwriter of a film but Sorkin evokes just that. Going into his films, you know you're going to expect a number of things. Firstly, all of his characters are unbelievably clever. Sorkin writes amazing dialogue for everyone but for his main characters, he writes them in such a way to make them the smartest person in the room. Molly Bloom is presented to be a genius businesswoman who manages to work her way to become as wealthy as she was through her superior brain power. At times, it is a little bewildering that anyone can simply recall upon the knowledge of a classics subject to make a point but because it's delivered with such professionalism and tenacity, it's only a minor worry. To play Devil's Advocate for just a moment, one of my only gripes I have with Sorkin and his screenplays are that they are so heavy going that he demands his audience pay close attention to everything at all times otherwise you fall behind. I was transfixed for the whole of Molly's Game but because Sorkin never builds you up to his frantic and fast-paced script, for the opening 10-15 minutes or so, I feel like he can often leave viewers in the dust as they straggle a bit behind trying to pick the pieces up and put them back together again. That's how the opening of Molly's Game felt. We were immediately thrust into Sorkin's wonderfully scribed world and it took me a while to focus up and pay extreme close attention. It's like changing seat in a theatre. Just as you're getting comfortable in a regular seat, you're moved to a luxury VIP seat that, at first, takes a while to find the correct position but as soon as you find it, your satisfaction levels are through the roof.
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| 🎵I always feel like somebody's WATCHING ME🎵 |
Sorkin isn't just in charge of the script as he stands behind the camera in the position of director for the first time. Not that I was expecting perfection straight away but after working with spectacular directors like David Fincher and Danny Boyle, I thought Sorkin may have learnt a trick or two from his experiences. Personally, this is a good debut for Sorkin but there is great potential for this to be something more. The poker scenes are shot very well as they blend the dynamic script with unique visuals that help explain the game for those of us who aren't poker-savvy but aside from those scenes, the rest of the film looks very mundane and that becomes especially apparent in the final act. Dialogue is still flowing thick and fast but as we edge towards the conclusion of Molly's story, the nearly two and a half hour runtime of the film begins to show. It's not that I was bored but instead, felt more like scenes were included that didn't need to be. For example, the family dynamic was handled well and Kevin Costner shares a great and tender scene with Chastain upon a park bench but this minor story doesn't serve much towards the main plot other than to help develop Molly's character a fraction more. Hypothetically speaking, I feel like if this were directed by a previous collaborator of Sorkin's, then there may have been more of an astute stance taken. That being said, I do still look forward to Sorkin directing many more feature films in the hope that he'll go from strength to strength.
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| They both sucked at catch. |
Molly's Game is another smash hit for Sorkin in the script department and a good start for him in the directors chair. Chastain and Elba are unstoppable with their performances and should be nominated. It's a lot to take in at first but as soon as you begin to settle into the films tone and structure, then seeing this should be a more than sufficient way to start your year.
My Verdict: 7/10
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