WILD CARD: KNOW WHEN TO FOLD ‘EM

When I first saw the trailer for WILD CARD I thought hang on, I’ve seen this before. As the credits for the DVD came across the screen I found I was right. The film is a remake of the Burt Reynolds 1986 film HEAT, based on the same novel by William Goldman. Known for his screenplays for films like BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID, ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN and MARATHON MAN to name a few, one would expect this to be a great film. In all honesty it’s a good movie but not quite great. It does do a nice job of tailoring it to the actor on tap for the lead role here though.

Jason Statham stars as Nick Wild, a security expert in Las Vegas. While Nick dreams of the day he can leave Vegas to cruise the seas but finds himself tied to his gambling addiction instead. He hires himself out for various jobs here and there, but things become personal when his friend, escort Holly (Dominik Garcia-Lorido), calls him to her place.

It seems a low level mobster’s son Danny DeMarco (Milo Ventimiglia) took Holly from an elevator promising a party when in reality he simply used and abused her before having his men beat her to a pulp and then toss her body to the curb outside of a local hospital. Beaten, bloodied and damaged, Holly wants Nick to help her get her revenge. But Nick is hesitant. While completely loyal to his friends, he just can’t seem to find putting his life on the line for this friend to get revenge, especially knowing who the punk is tied to.

At about this time Nick is also approached in his office by a very young, very wealthy man named Cyrus (Michael Angarano) to be his bodyguard while showing him the gambling sights of Vegas. Taking on the job for the money, Nick shows him around the more subdued locations in Vegas, the less splashy casinos, drinking at each stop along the way until the end up at the Golden Nugget, the hotel DeMarco was staying in. At this point he cuts ties with Cyrus and pays a visit to DeMarco. Being this is a Statham flick of course the end result will not be pretty for DeMarco and company.

When he finishes he calls Holly up to come to DeMarco’s room and she does indeed get her revenge along with $50,000. Paying half of that to Nick he suggest she leave town and begins to make plans to do the same. But the gambling addiction and alcohol fueled mind of Nick won’t let him do so just yet. And before the next few days are over he will have every opportunity to fulfill his long wished for dreams and every chance to toss it aside as well. What he chooses to do makes up the last half of the film.

While this movie is not Oscar material it does present a deeper story than is usually found in a Statham film. This is not to criticize his previous efforts, I’m a fan of his movies. It offers more though and that’s a good thing. It allows him to do more than just punch people though it does have that as well. Here he portrays a deeper character than usual and shows he can handle roles like this. Let’s hope that continues and that audiences will be willing to continue to watch those films.

The biggest complaints about this film have come from the inclusion of a number of well-known actors in bit parts, near cameos. Advertising for the film touts their appearances in it and fans were upset to discover how small their parts were. Sofia Vergara, Jason Alexander, Stanley Tucci, Anne Heche and Hope Davis all pop up in small roles but that shouldn’t be a negative. That they were willing to do so shows their dedication to the film.

The other complaint is that the movie has a slower pace than is seen in most Statham movies. For me that should be in the plus column. It means he’s developing as an actor, relying as much on his skills to do that as he does on his ability to carry a fight scene in a film. He’s a much better actor than given credit for and if you’ve ever seen LOCK STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS, SNATCH or REVOLVER (an excellent and overlooked film) then you’d know this already. The fact that this film uses story instead of guns, explosions and roundhouse kicks to the head to move it forward isn’t something to be slammed. That Statham can make it works makes it better.

While the movie in the end isn’t the next best thing since sliced bread, it does offer a decent evening’s entertainment. Even though located in Vegas it doesn’t rely on the seedier side of life nor the now cliché strip club mentality (though there is one short scene that has nude dancers). Knowing full well that any film that takes place in what has become known as Sin City you would expect it to be filled with glamor and glitz, violence and gambling. Those may be seen but they’re not as seedy as has been depicted in the past. Instead you have a solid story of a self-destructive man who has the chance to fulfill his dreams if he will just take it. Not a bad deal when it comes to a movie.

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