‘The Perfect Gamble’ Review
Stars: David Arquette, Danny A. Abeckaser, Dean Miroshnikov, Daniella Pick, Herzl Tobey, Sal Tesauro | Written by Kosta Kondilopoulos | Directed by Danny A. Abeckaser
“The casino is mine and so are you.”
The latest adventure in the film career of wrestling legend David Arquette, sees the Scream icon star in a tag team of gamblers who open an illegal casino following their release from prison.
Charlie (David Arquette) and Felix (Danny A. Abeckaser) have just gotten out, but they have a plan: open an illegal casino somewhere in Eastern Europe, specifically Georgia – it will be cheap and out of the way. True to an extent, but what they’ve underestimated is the Russian mafia, who seemingly run and own everything, led by an excellent villainous performance from Dean Miroshnikov as Victor. Further to the mix is Sonia (Daniella Pick), whose presence adds mystery in her background and motivation, but is a romantic fascination for Charlie, too.
For the majority of the first half of The Perfect Gamble, the pacing is aggressively slow and visually feels quite contained with the multitude of interior sequences in derelict environments, but after the capture of Felix, the film truly comes to life. The shift in violence and uncertainty for the main characters immediately increases the pacing and general interest, but sadly, half of the film has already passed by this point. The second half of The Perfect Gamble is fortunate to include a wide variety of thrilling action sequences, genuinely shocking turns, improved character performances, and overall improvement in entertainment.
Whilst much of the first half of The Perfect Gamble feels exclusive to an environment or two, mostly darkened interiors, the second half of the film, with the increased stakes, expands to that of some beautiful exterior scenery, captured in both daylight and nighttime. Not only do the exterior locations broaden the visual horizon of the film, but given the context behind specific locations – such as a makeshift graveyard – the tone and ambience of The Perfect Gamble is immediately heightened and improved.
Ultimately, when viewing The Perfect Gamble, it feels that the director-actor Danny A. Abeckaser decided to leave all the good stuff until the last 30 mins. Whilst the buildup is slow, the conclusion is genuinely exciting. The glorified cameo of Herzl Tobey’s Peter Gasu, aka Temu the Wolf, exists as the creative cherry on the cake of this film.
**½ 2.5/5
The Perfect Gamble is set for a UK release later this year, courtesy of High Fliers.
