The production qualities of this film are obviously tailor made for TV. The hard edges of the descent into the depths of gambling addiction have all been smoothed off. That's not to say the situations and predicaments are unrealistic. There's no brutal violence, but some hard core language. No sex, substance abuse or slimy cohorts either.
All the characters seem like upstanding citizens, including the restaurateur/loan shark. It feels like a New York story that got moved to the mid-west. Jewish and Italian characters throughout. It's a fairly fast-paced film that takes place over the course of less than a week. Very linear, with no sub-plots other than a marriage that crumbles suddenly when the wife discovers how bad his addiction has become.
Maybe the best part is the lack of a fairy-tale ending. No winning the "big one" and paying off debts and starting new. Instead there's a more realistic ending of a promise to never gamble again, and an agreement that separation might be the best thing. For that, it beats almost every Hollywood gambling movie. No getting off scott-free, but not everyone has to die either.
Watchable, and believable, but nothing special. More of a drama than an action film.
