Molly's Game | Jessica Chastain is at the top of her game in sleek Poker Princess biopic

Molly’s Game Jessica Chastain Idris Elba
(Image credit: Courtesy of STXfilms)

Molly’s Game Jessica Chastain Idris Elba

Deal with her. 

You will need your wits about you to keep up with Molly's Game, the sleek biopic starring Jessica Chastain as notorious ‘Poker Princess’ Molly Bloom. A onetime Olympic-level skier, she ran high-stakes underground poker games for Hollywood A-listers and Wall Street titans for over a decade until she fell foul of the FBI.

The film marks the directing debut of West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin, so it is no surprise that the dialogue is slick and fast. But Sorkin the director lacks the visual dazzle David Fincher and Danny Boyle brought to his scripts for The Social Network and Steve Jobs – two other biopics with whip-smart protagonists – and he can’t prevent this film from seeming over-long and overly convoluted, despite sharp supporting performances from the likes of Kevin Costner (Molly’s demanding dad) and Idris Elba (her exasperated lawyer).

Still, Chastain is at the top of her game from first to last and her quick-fire repartee will leave you panting to catch up.

Certificate 15. Runtime 140 mins. Director Aaron Sorkin

Molly's Game available on Blu-ray, DVD & Digital from Entertainment One.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rvMvdXiU-0

Jason Best

A film critic for over 25 years, Jason admits the job can occasionally be glamorous – sitting on a film festival jury in Portugal; hanging out with Baz Luhrmann at the Chateau Marmont; chatting with Sigourney Weaver about The Archers – but he mostly spends his time in darkened rooms watching films. He’s also written theatre and opera reviews, two guide books on Rome, and competed in a race for Yachting World, whose great wheeze it was to send a seasick film critic to write about his time on the ocean waves. But Jason is happiest on dry land with a classic screwball comedy or Hitchcock thriller.