Looking Back At MOLLY'S GAME

Martin Rayburn is all in.

With the Winter Olympics in full swing, time now to turn to a previous hopeful competitor who was on a trajectory for Games glory, and at one time ranked third amongst women's moguls skiers, before suffering an injury, failing to qualify and turning her dedication to an entirely different pursuit.

For a decade, between 2004 and 2013, Molly Bloom ran high-stakes poker games. You could play online via sbobet, but Molly originally ran her games out of The Viper Room in Los Angeles where her clientele where often Hollywood A-list celebrities. After her eventual downfall and publication of her autobiography, it was Hollywood again who would come knocking, interested in bringing her story to the screen. This could've gone horribly wrong and all self-appreciating. Fortunately, when it arrived in 2017, the cinematic adaptation of Molly's Game was spearheaded by a master of his craft, Aaron Sorkin.

But, of course, Sorkin is known primarily for his cutting dialogue, yet with Molly's Game he upped the stakes, stepping behind the camera for his directorial debut. In doing so, Sorkin keeps the narrative mostly entertaining throughout, but it's Jessica Chastain as Molly Bloom who proves to be the real ACE here, turning in a superlative performance; one which empowers the film throughout its 141 minutes.

It's hard not to be drawn in by Chastain as she embodies Molly, starting from scratch to her end as an FBI target after having made a lot of money. Portraying a woman who went through emotional turmoil yet later refocused her talent and hosted the biggest bets in the world of poker, Chastain is firebrand. Her performance is all heart & soul. The sequences involving Molly and her lawyer (Idris Elba, on fine form) stand out thanks to Sorkin's clever dialogue and also due to Chastain & Elba's winning on-screen chemistry.

Having said that, Sorkin's screenplay isn't always on-point. The sub-plot of Molly and her strained relationship with her father (Kevin Costner, who very often proves to be terrific in smaller roles and does just that here) isn't entirely engaging, despite the wonderful performances, but aside from this one area Sorkin delivers an empowering exploration of a woman's journey. His direction is pretty sound too, absolutely leaving his mark in his debut.

On the whole, Molly's Game isn't perfect, but it has enough merits to earn itself repeated viewing.