Born To Lose

Five’ll get you ten A.O. Scott decided to do a “Critics Picks” assessment of Karel Riesz and James Toback‘s The Gambler (’74) when he heard about the reported Paramount remake that became briefly notorious when Toback, who based his script partly on his gambling-addicted life, complained that no one from Paramount had given him so much as a courtesy call. If the remake happens, Martin Scorsese might direct with Leonardo DiCaprio in the James Caan role.

14 thoughts on “Born To Lose

  1. Think Toback has spent too much time back east lounging in the Harvard club (where he apparently always does his interviews) and forgot where the screenwriter fits in the hierarchy of Hollywood.

    I’m sure someone can get the exact quote and who said it, but another writer said of Hollywood that he came out here, threw his script over the top of the wall, they threw back a bag of money and he merrily went back to New York.

  2. That’s funny, I was just meditating in a deprivation tank, and thought to myself, Di Caprio really needs to work with some more directors 20 years past their peak.

  3. Chicago: DiCaprio has about thirty projects “in development”. I think he just buys up every promising premise and keeps it on a shelf in case he wants it sometime down the line.

  4. Just watched this again along with California Split. No offense to Marty or Leo, but I’m having a difficult time seeing why The Gambler needs remaking. Perhaps “needs” is the wrong word. However, I’m ultimately open to it, and wouldn’t mind to see individuals who have real-life experience being self-destructive individuals like Robert Downey, Jr. and Tom Sizemore make appearances.

  5. @ Alexander.

    Indeed. People who have had such life experience in gambling (as Robert Downey,Jr you mentioned) have much clearer picture of what’s going on and how to present this or that situation

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