Colin Farrell's Ballad Of A Small Participant Is An Prompt International Streaming Hit

Colin Farrell has introduced us a brand new crime thriller, which has acquired blended evaluations, however is nonetheless drawing spectacular viewership. Edward Berger and Netflix’s Ballad of a Small Player relies on Lawrence Osborne’s novel of the identical title, following a high-stakes gambler with a troubled previous residing in Macau. The film additionally stars Tilda Swinton, Fala Chen, Deanie Ip, and Alex Jennings.

Ballad of a Small Player debuted with a decent Rotten Tomatoes score of 65%, technically “licensed contemporary” however hardly competing with the most definitely 2026 Best Picture nominees; that rating has since dropped to 50%. This reception was extra disappointing when Berger helmed final yr’s hit thriller Conclave, one of many high movies contending for Finest Image at the latest Academy Awards.

However the brand new Netflix function is just not with out its defenders, with some critics praising its trendy visuals and Farrell’s efficiency, and it’s general turning out to achieve success on streaming. In response to FlixPatrol, Ballad of a Small Participant is the No. 2 film on Netflix on the earth as we speak (October 31), falling beneath solely The Damage Locker director Kathryn Bigelow’s political thriller A Home of Dynamite.

Colin Farrell sits at a gambling table in Ballad of a Small Player-1

Notably, Ballad of a Small Participant is simply at No. 6 among the many Prime 10 Motion pictures within the U.S. As we speak on Netflix, suggesting that it’s extra common when worldwide audiences are thought of. Ballad of a Small Participant additionally had a restricted theatrical launch forward of its streaming debut on October 29, probably solely as a result of Netflix wished it to be eligible for Oscar nominations.

Nonetheless, Ballad of a Small Participant might be fortunate if it will get a couple of craft nominations, whereas Netflix has a problem with too many Oscar-hopeful films, additionally campaigning A Home of Dymamite, Jay Kelly, and Frankenstein. So far as streaming numbers go, Ballad of a Small Participant will in all probability be immediately competing with A Home of Dynamite to retain audiences within the coming weeks.

Each movies fall below the thriller categorization, however with very totally different supposed results. A Home of Dynamite is a political thriller meant to terrify its viewers in regards to the damaging capability of the world’s nuclear stockpile, whereas Ballad of a Small Participant is (satirically) a lower-stakes story, specializing in the fraught lifetime of a single character. Thus, it could be extra pleasurable to observe.

It will likely be fascinating to see which entry has extra rewatch worth, which makes it an extended streaming success: A Home of Dynamite may be too nerve-wracking for a second viewing, whereas Ballad of a Small Participant is the weaker film, which can bore audiences if revisited too typically. Nonetheless, Colin Farrell’s followers are clearly blissful to observe him in one other electrical thriller, regardless of its flaws.