New York City professor Axel Freed (James Caan, The Godfather) is in crippling debt due to gambling addiction. He owes over forty thousand dollars to his bookie Hips (Paul Sorvino, Goodfellas), who has mob connections and threatens violence against Axel if he doesn’t pay his debts. Managing to borrow enough money from his mother to pay what he owes, Axel flees town with his girlfriend Billie (Lauren Hutton, American Gigolo) for Las Vegas, which thrusts him back into the world of gambling, resulting in an anxiety-inducing spiral of unpaid debts, violence and despair.

The American debut for Czech born, British filmmaker Karel Reisz (Saturday Night, Sunday Morning), The Gambler is a now iconic entry in the pantheon of crime cinema of the 1970s. Featuring a manic, career defining, performance from James Caan accompanied by stunning on location photography from cinematographer Victor J. Kemper (Dog Day Afternoon), production design by Philip Rosenberg (All That Jazz), and palpably tense editing work from future filmmaker Roger Spottiswoode (Under Fire), Reisz’s film is one of the great American films of the New Hollywood era. Cinématographe is proud to present The Gambler in a new 4K restoration for its world UHD debut.

For thoughts on The Gambler, please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required:

Video Quality

Cinématographe presents The Gambler with a sterling 2160p Dolby Vision/HDR transfer in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio sourced from a 4K restoration. The wonderful thing about this release is that not only is the film making its 4K UHD debut, but also its domestic Blu-Ray debut. The label avoided a lot of irritation from fans by believing this one was worthy of the superior format while also providing a Blu-Ray disc from the same 4K master. This new 4K UHD Blu-Ray is overflowing with thick, organic film grain with no indication of unwanted DNR. The encoding appears to be mostly free of digital anomalies such as compression artifacts, banding, or other such shortcomings, outside of some intermittent issues. Most of the daytime skies avoid excessive spiking, swarming, and other stray encoding issues, but you will notice brief, subtle blockiness.

The implementation of Dolby Vision for refined color output perfects the palette of the picture. The hues of the casino and other various interiors are represented with exquisite precision. The colors within some of the lighting and other design elements are similarly dialed into the perfect shade. Black levels are firm with nothing in the way of crush present, and highlights are sturdy with no blooming in play. The transfer never falters when it comes to textures in the clothing, production design, and various building exteriors. We did not spot much in the way of lingering damage, such as stray specks, but there are a couple of fleeting shots where it seems the source may have been damaged. Cinématographe continues to be a lifesaver for overlooked American cinema.

Audio Quality

The 4K UHD Blu-Ray of the film comes with the original DTS-HD 1.0 Master Audio mono track which delivers on all fronts. Dialogue comes through without egregious signs of sibilance or other shortcomings. It also comes through without being overshadowed by the music. The score from Jerry Fielding establishes the appropriate atmosphere that flows out of the speakers with consistent fidelity. All of the various sounds seem accurately executed so that nothing ever feels unnatural. A few moments during the basketball game and at the casino liven up the speakers, but this is more of a character-driven piece. This presentation keeps any hiss or other age-related wear-and-tear to a minimum. Cinématographe has done an excellent job of making it sound as strong as possible. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided.

Special Features

The Limited Edition version of The Gambler comes beautifully packaged in a hard outer slipcase that opens up to a MediaBook that includes a bound booklet featuring new essays by film critics Aisha Harris, Jordan Hoffman, Adam Nayman, and Scott Tobias, plus select archival photo reproductions. These essays delve into the film from multiple angles and provide a great analysis in a thoughtfully written style. The on-disc special features are as follows:

Disc One (4K UHD)

Audio Commentaries: Two commentary tracks are provided which give insights into the creation of the film, where this fits into the careers of the creatives, details about the shooting locations, the background of the performers, and much more that puts things into context.
- Audio Commentary #1: Film critic Glenn Kenny
- Audio Commentary #2: Film critic Matthew Asprey Gear, recorded in 2021

Disc Two (Blu-Ray)

Audio Commentaries
- Audio Commentary #1: Film critic Glenn Kenny
- Audio Commentary #2: Film critic Matthew Asprey Gear, recorded in 2021
The Gambler vs. The Gambler – Video Essay by Samm Deighan: A new 14-minute visual essay is provided that compares the 1974 original and 2014 remake of The Gambler.
After the Game – Video Essay by Chris O’Neill: A great 14-minute visual essay is provided in which the insightful film historian takes you through the film, analyzing the characters, the compositions, the themes, and more.
Interview with Music Historian Jon Burlingame: A nearly 11-minute interview is provided in which the historian explores the score from Jerry Fielding, the influences on the work, the journey to the screen, and more.
James Caan Interview by Charlie Rose (1996): A 27-minute archival interview in which the performer sits down around the time of the promotion of Eraser to delve into his career.
Audio Interview with Director Karel Reisz (1991): An expansive two-hour audio interview is provided in which the filmmaker discusses his life and career.
Theatrical Trailer (3:39)

Final Thoughts

The Gambler finds James Caan delivering one of his finest performances in a career that is an exceptional body of work. This gripping tale of addiction is enthralling because it sucks the audience into this world, holding our breath every time a bet is placed. The ensemble that backs up Caan is in great form, especially as you see them modulate their frustration with Axel’s decisions. The narrative can be quite bleak, but you never want to look away. It is a knockout bit of ‘70s cinema. Cinématographe has delivered a 4K UHD Blu-Ray featuring a fantastic A/V presentation and a rich assortment of special features. Recommended

The Gambler is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD + Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Cinématographe has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.