Ballad of a Small Player is the new Netflix movie you haven’t heard of that needs to be streamed on the biggest screen possible

13 Oct 2025, 22:00 · TechRadar

TechRadar Verdict

Edward Berger's follow-up to Conclave and All Quiet on the Western Front was always going to be scrutinized, and Ballad of a Small Player does fall short, but not spectacularly so.

Pros

+Jaw-dropping cinematography and use of lightning
+A score worthy of an Academy award
+An exceptional lead performance from Colin Farrell
+A satisfying conclusion and shrewd mid-credits scene

Cons

-It's noticeably not as strong or well-rounded as Conclave or All Quiet on the Western Front
-Not enough Tilda Swinton, though there never is
-The storyline wanes at the two-thirds mark, losing tension
-Vastly different from the original novel
-At a disadvantage by being in Netflix's late-2025 release slate

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As the biggest Conclaviac (that's a fan of director Edward Berger's movie Conclave) around, I was always seated for Berger's next movie before it had even been filmed. Now I've seen Ballad of a Small Player, it's clear that it was never going to live up to the hype.

Really, we're wrong to pit the new Netflix movie against Berger's previous work (which includes All Quiet on the Western Front), yet it's inevitable. Each of his last three projects exist in their own right, not sharing any characteristics outside of Berger's outstanding personal vision.

If you're coming to Ballad of a Small Player hoping for cinematography that will blow your mind, you're in the right place. If you're hoping Colin Farrell bares his acting soul in the portrait of a tortured gambler at war with his addiction, he charmingly delivers.

The downside is that the movie suffers from the classic problem of waning at the two-third mark – in a nutshell, the fatal moment where you're itching for things to wrap up and draw their conclusion, checking your watch in the process.

But besides this, I fell in love with Berger's end goal, flaws and all. While I wonder if being streamed on Netflix does the film's artistry a disservice, we should be thanking out lucky stars for such immediate access to thoughtful, quality craft

Ballad of a Small Player's visuals are the real star of the show

Ballad of a Small Player | Official Trailer | Netflix - YouTube

Watch On

Macau is a city where, by Berger and his team's own admission, is unlike anywhere else in the world. A beast with two distinctly different identities, it's the perfect place to reflect big-time gambler Lord Doyle's (Farrell) inner demons, struggling to get himself out of a hole he makes deeper with every decision.

Without giving too much away, he's a man who owes a lot of people money (or has flat-out stolen it), spending anything he has left on the next game of Baccarat. When Cynthia Blithe (Tilda Swinton) begins to tail him for the life he's left behind, Doyle turns to Dao Ming (Fala Chen) in his hour of need. What follows is the ultimate test of his character.

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