After a summer spent fighting Transformers, Mark Wahlberg is ready for battle with an even bigger, more unfeeling machine: the world of professional gambling. In this first trailer for the Rupert Wyatt-directed remake of James Toback’s semiautobiographical 1974 film—and not, as is required in every story about this movie, an adaptation of Kenny Rogers’ song—Wahlberg plays a college professor with some difficulty knowing when to hold them, when to fold them, and when to walk away, even in the intimidating presence of a bald John Goodman and a Michael K. Williams-looking Michael K. Williams.
What with Wahlberg’s visibly emaciated (and therefore serious) frame, a strong supporting cast that also includes Jessica Lange and Brie Larson, a script from The Departed’s William Monahan, and its Oscar-eligible limited release on Dec. 19, The Gambler is definitely showing its hand when it comes to awards consideration. And if nothing else, this trailer’s use of “Gimme Shelter” reaffirms that, when the chips are down, always bet on borrowed Scorsese.