‘Ballad of a Small Player’ Trailer: Colin Farrell Is a Desperate Gambling Addict in ‘Conclave’ Director’s Netflix Psychological Thriller

Netflix has unveiled the first trailer for Edward Berger‘s “Ballad of a Small Player,” starring Colin Farrell.

In the film, Farrell plays Lord Doyle, a man who spends all day and night on the casino floors of Macau. As he struggles to keep up with his debts, Fala Chen’s Dao Ming, a casino employee, surfaces to save him. Meanwhile, Tilda Swinton plays a private investigator named Cynthia Blithe who is hot on his trail and ready to confront him about his past.

The psychological thriller is Berger’s follow-up to “Conclave” and is based on a book by Lawrence Osborne. The screenplay is adapted by Rowan Joffe, best known for writing “28 Weeks Later” (2007).

The film reunites Berger with his team of artisans, including cinematographer James Friend, production designer Jonathan Houlding, costume designer Lisy Christl, editor Nick Emerson and composer Volker Bertelmann.

Berger has earned acclaim in recent years. His German-language remake of “All Quiet on the Western Front” (2022) was nominated for best picture and won four Academy Awards, including international feature. It also set a BAFTA record with seven awards, the most ever in the history of the awards. Berger followed that success with “Conclave,” which secured a best adapted screenplay Oscar for Peter Straughan earlier this year.

Farrell is enjoying a banner year after earning his first Emmy nomination for portraying the menacing Oz Cobb in the Batman spinoff miniseries “The Penguin.”

Netflix has slated the film for a prime release: it opens in U.S. theaters on Oct. 15, arrives in U.K. and Ireland cinemas on Oct. 17, and debuts on the streamer on Oct. 29. Before that, the film will screen at TIFF and other fall film festivals, including the Zurich Film Festival where Farrell will receive the Golden Icon Award.

“Ballad of a Small Player” is produced by Mike Goodridge and Matthew James Wilkinson.

Watch the trailer below.