Ben Mendelsohn rightly gathers a lot of kudos for his performances, and Mississippi Grind looks like it offers him just the sort of slightly broken, scuffed-around-the-edges sort he does so well. Check out the UK trailer for the new drama.
Mississippi Grind finds Mendelsohn as Gerry, a down-at-heel, inveterate gambler who just doesn’t seem to be having much luck of late. The cards aren’t his friends, and he’s been racking up debts to… well, just about everyone, and especially to Alfre Woodard’s Sam, who is not above sending her enforcers around to duff him him when he can’t pay.
But when Gerry meets the charismatic and seemingly lucky Curtis (Ryan Reynolds), a light goes off in his head – the young man could be his lucky charm, just what he needs to help him at a huge stakes poker tournament in New Orleans. As the fledgling buddies take a road trip to the venue, they encounter new friends, old flames and all that life has to throw at them.
Coming from the Half Nelson writing/directing duo Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, the movie had a relatively quiet release across the pond, but earned good notices, particularly for Mendelsohn and Reynolds. It’ll be out in the UK on October 23 if you want to take a punt on it.