Netflix's Ballad of a Small Player seemed to have everything going for it. Its director, Edward Berger, had been on a hot streak. His previous films, All Quiet on the Western Front and Conclave, were hits with critics, audiences, and award bodies. Its star, Colin Farrell, is one of those character actors in a leading man's body, well-respected within the industry and hardly ever turning in anything but a fantastic performance. And it's adapted from a 2014 novel of the same name by author Lawrence Osborne, which found its way onto many best-of lists. The streamer didn't appear to be making a risky bet by backing Berger, Farrell, and their take on this surreal psychological thriller about compulsive gambling.

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