The Gambler (1974) on Netflix
By day Axel Freed lectures on literature at a New York City college; privately he is a compulsive gambler. He owes $44,000 to a bookie named Hips, who wants it paid.
- Netflix3.8/5
- IMDb7.1/107,376 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes82%
Trailer
Plot summary
Axel Freed teaches literature at a New York City college, where his lectures on Dostoevsky hold his students' attention. He also gambles, and the habit has left him owing $44,000 to his bookie, a mafioso named Hips, who likes him personally but warns of grave consequences if the money is not paid. His girlfriend, Billie, questions whether she should keep company with a man in that position, and Axel answers that she loves the dangers of his life. His mother, Naomi, a doctor, disapproves and is the one he asks for the money. His grandfather, a wealthy businessman, admires him.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Gambler (1974)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- James Toback became enthused about Robert De Niro playing the lead, but director Karel Reisz did not want to use De Niro and cast James Caan instead.
- James Caan was battling his own cocaine addiction at the time The Gambler was filmed, and he has said the film is one of his favorites.
- The Gambler was the first produced screenplay by James Toback, who had worked as an English lecturer at the City College of New York and had a gambling problem, and who first wrote the story as a semi-autobiographical novel.
