Netflix has dropped the first official look at Ballad of a Small Player, a moody, character-driven drama set in the opulent underworld of Macau’s high-stakes gambling scene.
Starring Colin Farrell, the film will hit select theaters on October 15 before its global streaming debut on October 29.
Directed by Edward Berger (All Quiet on the Western Front) and adapted by Rowan Joffe from Lawrence Osborne’s acclaimed novel, the film promises a slow-burn descent into moral reckoning and chance-fueled survival.
The Story: A Gambler in Hiding, A Stranger with Secrets
Farrell plays Lord Doyle, a British gambler with a checkered past who’s quietly evading both his history and his creditors. Set adrift in Macau, he spends his nights in casinos and his days lying low. until he meets a mysterious woman (Fala Chen) whose presence threatens to change everything.
What starts as a quiet connection unfolds into something more dangerous, and perhaps redemptive. But in a city where nothing is ever quite what it seems, salvation may come at a steep price.
Cast & Creative Team
- Colin Farrell as Lord Doyle
- Fala Chen
- Deanie Ip
- Alex Jennings
- Tilda Swinton
With a team that includes Oscar-nominated talent behind and in front of the camera, Ballad of a Small Player blends atmosphere with psychological depth, focusing less on the stakes of the table and more on the cost of trying to outrun your past.
Movie Details
- In Select Theaters: October 15, 2025
- Streaming on Netflix Worldwide: October 29, 2025
- Director: Edward Berger
- Screenwriter: Rowan Joffe
- Based on the novel The Ballad of a Small Player by Lawrence Osborne
- Producers: Mike Goodridge, Edward Berger, Matthew James Wilkinson
- Cinematographer: James Friend
- Production Designer: Jonathan Houlding
- Editor: Nick Emerson
- Composer: Volker Bertelmann
- Hair & Makeup: Heike Merker
- Costume Designer: Lisy Christl
Expect a haunting portrait of identity, regret, and human connection wrapped in the smoky elegance of Macau’s casino culture. Ballad of a Small Player isn’t about the bet — it’s about the man placing it.