Directed by Aaron Sorkin (in his directorial debut but known as a scriptwriter for The Social Network; Moneyball; Steve Jobs; Charlie Wilson's War; The West Wing tv series) and starring Jessica Chastain (The Help; Zero Dark Thirty; Miss Sloane; The Martian; Interstellar), Idris Elba (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom; Luther; Thor: The Dark World; Star Trek Beyond; Bastille Day), Kevin Costner (Dances with Wolves; Tin Cup; JFK; Hidden Figures; Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit ).
Biopic; 140 mins, 12+
Based on the book "Molly's Game" by the person of the same name, Molly Bloom (Jessica Chastain) hires lawyer Charlie Jaffey (Idris Elba) to defend her on charges of running exclusive high-stakes poker games.
With flashbacks to her childhood when her father Larry (Kevin Costner) pushed her hard on the ski slopes, only to fall at the last hurdle (literally) in an Onympic qualifying event, the story reveals how easy it can be for someone who is in the right (or wrong) place at the right (or wrong) time, to take split-second decisions that can shape their entire future.
After recovering from injury and instead of entering law school, Molly sets out on her own and get a couple of low-pay jobs. One day one of her bosses asks/invites her to help at a poker game. She is now admitted to the world of high-rollers and, after an argument with her boss, sets out on her own. She is professional yet sympathetic to her clients, and refuses to betray client confidentiality, particularly when they are on a bad run, and refuses to take a cut from the pot - which would be illegal. However, in trying to balance her conscience with her professionalism, she gives in... By this time, she is taking prescription medication to both keep herself awake during the day and to allow her to sleep at night.
In the poker games, the players included Hollywood royalty, sports stars, business titans and the criminal underworld - the latter unknown to her. But the stakes in running such games are very high indeed...
While this film is part courtroom drama, part sports biopic and part insider in high-stakes poker games, it is actually none of these. They play sub-plots to the drama of Molly Bloom the person, a very likeable young woman who enters a dangerous world somewhat naively. Yes, she is business savvy, but her persona is to have compassion, and this is what she is asking for from her lawyer, the FBI and the court...
The film is heavy on dialogue with much quick-fire voice-overs, and the soundtrack consists of different music genres all combining to great effect. Many scenes are built around specific poker hands and feature a large amount of vernacular, jargon and poker vocabulary, but you don't need to get all of this to understand what is happening.
While some could make comparisons to The Wolf of Wall Street, the only thing these two films has in common is that they feature large amounts of money. A very well-played drama with great performances by the main three actors, with a finale that is well worth waiting for...
