Movies like Ballad of a Small Player
If you like "Ballad of a Small Player" you are looking for noir, suspense and psychological movies about / with gambling, casino, addiction, suicide, greed, debt and redemption themes of Crime, Drama and Mystery genre shot in UK or Germany.
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1. Identify all themes of interest from this film (block below).
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Ballad of a Small Player (2025)
23K
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK, Germany
Duration: 101 min.
Story:
Amid the glittering casinos of Macau, a gambler running from his past — and his debts — becomes fascinated by an enigmatic woman at the baccarat table.
Style:
noir, suspense, psychological, ambiguous ending, psychological thriller, dark comedy, f word
Plot:
gambling, casino, addiction, suicide, greed, debt, redemption, risk, character study, relationships, loneliness, betrayal, second chance, loss, moral ambiguity, underworld, dancing, fishing, beach, hotel, salvation, tattoo, plot twist, gambler, glamour ...
Time:
contemporary
Place:
macau, china, hong kong
Movie in categories
Most similar movies to Ballad of a Small Player
The list contains related movies ordered by similarity. Recommendation engine sorted out psychological, suspense, noir and tense films with plots about betrayal, moral ambiguity, corruption, murder, revenge, urban and investigation mostly in Drama, Thriller and Crime genres. Some movies like Ballad of a Small Player: Owning Mahowny (2003), Croupier (1998), Flutter (2011), Michael Clayton (2007), Crime 101 (2026). The matching attributes are highlighted in bold.
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK, Canada
Duration: 104 min.
Story:
Dan Mahowny was a rising star at the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. At twenty-four he was assistant manager of a major branch in the heart of Toronto's financial district. To his colleagues he was a workaholic. To his customers, he was ...
Style:
psychological, suspense, melancholic, enigmatic, thought provoking ...
Plot:
gambling addiction, casino, gambling, gambler, poker, addiction, embezzlement, greed, relationships, banker, police investigation, compulsive gambler ...
Time:
80s, year 2003, 20th century
Place:
las vegas, atlantic city, atlantic city new jersey, toronto ontario canada, new jersey ...
Similarity:
95%
25K
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK, Ireland, France, Germany
Duration: 94 min.
Story:
Jack Manfred is an aspiring writer who to make ends meet, takes a job as a croupier. Jack remains an observer, knowing that everything in life is a gamble and that gamblers are born to lose. Inevitably, he gets sucked into the world of the casino ...
Style:
neo noir, clever, tense, serious, realistic ...
Plot:
gambling, casino, croupier, writers, terrorist, cons and scams, caper, addiction, greed, relationships, career change, bet ...
Time:
90s, 20th century, year 1998
Place:
england, london, ireland, europe, south africa ...
Similarity:
67%
429
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 86 min.
Story:
Chancer John lives for playing the odds - and he's always willing to take a calculated risk. But when he meets the mysterious and beautiful female bookie Stan, he discovers there's much more to gambling than just greyhounds and horses. ...
Style:
tense, suspense, psychological, serious, crime drama ...
Plot:
gambling, bet, bookies, risk, obsession, husband wife relationship, life turned upside down, rescue, money, femme fatale, manipulation, deception ...
Similarity:
62%
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 119 min.
Story:
A law firm brings in its 'fixer' to remedy the situation after a lawyer has a breakdown while representing a chemical company that he knows is guilty in a multi-billion dollar class action suit.
Style:
suspenseful, clever, suspense, political thriller, disturbing ...
Plot:
lawyer, legal, business, twists and turns, conspiracy, guilt, character study, divorce, nervous breakdown, law firm, courtroom, trial ...
Time:
year 2007, 2000s, 21st century
Place:
new york, wisconsin, usa, milwaukee wisconsin, manhattan new york city ...
Similarity:
62%
Movie in collections
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 140 min.
Story:
When an elusive thief whose high-stakes heists unfold along the iconic 101 freeway in Los Angeles eyes the score of a lifetime, with hopes of this being his final job, his path collides with a disillusioned insurance broker who is facing her own ...
Style:
tension, crime drama, suspense, detective, twisted ...
Plot:
heist, moral ambiguity, cat and mouse, ethical dilemma, anti hero, chase, redemption, urban, partners in crime, mature, betrayal, identity ...
Place:
los angeles
Similarity:
62%
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: India
Duration: 140 min.
Story:
Perci Trachtenberg, widely regarded as the world's greatest living mathematician, meets Venkat, a reclusive math genius from India, at a high rolling casino in London. Venkat tells Perci about an equation that could not only change the dialogue ...
Style:
captivating, exciting, tense, psychological
Plot:
gambling, mathematics, poker, student, casino, theory, gambler, mathematician, escapades, poker player, professor, guilt ...
Place:
mumbai india, bombay india, london
Similarity:
60%
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min.
Story:
A Las Vegas homicide detective investigating his best friend uncovers a professional assassin.
Style:
detective, crime thriller, neo noir, tense, suspense ...
Plot:
investigation, assassin, corruption, deception, cat and mouse, conspiracy, moral ambiguity, betrayal, urban, underworld, friendship, private detective ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
las vegas, usa
Similarity:
54%
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Canada
Duration: 95 min.
Story:
Harry Woltz is a homicide cop with a gambling problem; a problem that leaves him owing a great deal of money to the Russell brothers. To clear the debt they ask him to train John Farrow to murder his wife, Evans, without leaving the usual clues or ...
Style:
suspense, serious, realistic, crime thriller, detective ...
Plot:
murder, gambling, addiction, police investigation, police corruption, investigation, dishonesty, law enforcement, sex, homicide, winter, deception ...
Similarity:
53%
Movie in collections
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK, Ireland, USA
Duration: 96 min.
Story:
An artist and her elderly mother confront long-buried secrets when they return to a former family home, now a hotel haunted by its mysterious past.
Style:
suspense, atmospheric, captivating, disturbing, bleak ...
Plot:
mother, daughter, supernatural, hotel, middle aged, life, mother daughter relationship, ghost story, family drama, secret, house, getting home ...
Similarity:
51%
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min.
Story:
On the night of their tenth anniversary, corporate lawyer Michael Barnes' wife is brutally murdered. Labelled the prime suspect by Detectives Jack Burns and Amy Cobb, Barnes must try to clear his name before it's too late... Along the way, ...
Style:
crime thriller, tense, suspense, intense, detective ...
Plot:
murder, lesbian sex, false accusation, falsely accused, betrayal, investigation, moral ambiguity, desperation, mistrust, moral dilemma, conspiracy, revenge ...
Similarity:
49%
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK, Spain
Duration: 107 min.
Story:
An assassin on a final assignment in Fuerteventura, to kill a man he has never met. When his target is delayed, he finds himself drawn to the island, people and a ghostly shipwreck. Instead of following protocol he stays. But when the target ...
Style:
suspense, tension, crime thriller, contemplative, psychological thriller ...
Plot:
hitman, shipwreck, assassin, moral ambiguity, island, ethical dilemma, introspection, ambiguity, identity, haunting, isolation, loneliness ...
Place:
spain, canary islands
Similarity:
47%
2K
Genre: Action, Adventure, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Spain, France
Duration: 91 min.
Story:
After receiving a tip-off, compulsive gambler Sergio returns to the betting house trying to recover all the money he has lost , but another gambler bursts into the place with a gun and a gunshot will change his life forever.
Style:
suspenseful, tense, thrilling, captivating, intense ...
Plot:
gambling, money, problem, gambler, money problems, gambling debt, desperation, loss, addiction, chance, regret, fate ...
Time:
2020s
Similarity:
43%
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Romance, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min.
Story:
With her husband Jack perpetually away at work, Margaret Hall raises her children virtually alone. Her teenage son is testing the waters of the adult world, and early one morning she wakes to find the dead body of his gay lover on the beach of their ...
Style:
neo noir, emotional, tense, suspenseful, suspense ...
Plot:
gay, gay teenager, murder, gay club, gay son, homosexual, murder mystery, lgbt, danger, life is a bitch, teenage boy, lake tahoe ...
Time:
year 2001, 21st century
Place:
los angeles, california, usa, reno nevada
Similarity:
42%
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Turkey
Duration: 123 min.
Story:
Battered, broken and bereaved, a private investigator must muscle his way through a tangle of lies to uncover the truth behind a mansion murder.
Style:
suspenseful, detective, crime thriller, captivating, dramatic ...
Plot:
investigation, private investigator, lawyer, criminal, secret, life, parents, murder mystery, murder, sleuth, cold case, male protagonist ...
Similarity:
42%
355
Genre: Crime, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 110 min.
Story:
Rin Jyoshima lost her father to death-by-gambling; years later, she's grown up in the Kosugi household and has fallen victim to gambling herself.
Style:
tension, suspense, dark, psychological, noir ...
Plot:
gambling, yakuza, revenge, female protagonist, loss, risk, addiction, betrayal, obsession, desperation, moral ambiguity, manipulation ...
Place:
japan
Similarity:
42%
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Argentina
Duration: 101 min.
Story:
Enrique Hubermann, homeopathic physician, travels in flight from a love. By a joke of fate, in that distant place he meets the woman he wants to forget, a beautiful young woman like a demon who manipulates men and triggers dangerous passions.
Style:
suspense, disturbing, captivating, psychological, tense ...
Plot:
hotel, seduction, vacation, obsession, relationship problems, attempted seduction, male female relationship, relationships, tragic love, couple relations, seductress, irony of fate ...
Time:
70s
Similarity:
40%
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: India
Duration: 138 min.
Story:
Joseph is a retired police officer with adept investigative skills. He accidentally gets involved in a crime case after his ex-wife’s unexpected demise.
Style:
suspense, twisted, detective, crime thriller, emotional ...
Plot:
investigation, retired cop, family drama, character study, family conflict, justice, loneliness, sacrifice, grief, revenge, moral ambiguity, slow burn ...
Similarity:
40%
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min.
Story:
A getaway driver finds himself in harm's way when he gets caught up in a job involving casino heist money leading to a debt over his head.
Style:
crime drama, tense, suspenseful, noir, fast paced ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
underworld, bandit, heist, moral ambiguity, moral dilemma, betrayal, isolation, escape, survival, violence, anti hero, chase ...
Place:
los angeles
Similarity:
38%
Movie in collections
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 111 min.
Story:
Literature professor Jim Bennett leads a secret life as a high-stakes gambler. Always a risk-taker, Bennett bets it all when he borrows from a gangster and offers his own life as collateral. Staying one step ahead, he pits his creditor against the ...
Style:
clever, tense, realistic, cynical, independent film ...
Plot:
gambling, addiction, gambling addiction, gambling debt, gambler, writers, gangster, human nature, moral dilemma, character study, police investigation, family relations ...
Time:
year 2014, 21st century
Place:
las vegas, los angeles, california, usa, nevada ...
Similarity:
37%
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Argentina
Duration: 92 min.
Story:
A famous Spanish writer is creating a new fictional character: a man of the world who has traveled the globe and, due to a series of circumstances, has ended up in Argentina. There, he meets an architect hiding a terrible secret.
Style:
psychological, suspense, atmospheric, intercultural, emotional ...
Plot:
dark secret, writers, architect, literary, travel, inspiration, novelist, identity, betrayal of trust, character study, loneliness, architecture ...
Place:
argentina, spain, buenos aires argentina
Similarity:
37%
Genre: Crime, Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 80 min.
Story:
When a poker player hits rock bottom he enlists his best friend to pull off a high-stakes heist.
Style:
tense, suspense, psychological, cynical, captivating ...
Plot:
poker, gambling, casino, addiction, friendship, escapades, heist, race against time, rivalry, gambling debt, risk, desperation ...
Time:
2010s
Similarity:
37%
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Germany, Sweden, UK
Duration: 100 min.
Story:
What is a human life worth? How is it possible that a woman like Agnes could agree to kill another human being? Is it the money? Or are there other forces at play?
Style:
tense, suspense, suspenseful, psychological thriller, captivating ...
Plot:
murder, female protagonist, moral dilemma, secrets, relationship problems, female assassin, assassination plot, conspiracy, murder mystery, murderer, girlfriend, female villain ...
Place:
bruges
Similarity:
36%
73K
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min.
Story:
A psychic doctor, John Clancy, works with an FBI special agent in search of a serial killer.
Style:
suspense, twist ending, surprise ending, intense, mysterious ...
Plot:
serial killer, psychic, investigation, psychology, police investigation, twists and turns, premonition, murder investigation, swat team, supernatural, whodunit, plot twist ...
Time:
year 2015
Similarity:
34%
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: India
Duration: 156 min.
Story:
Two long-separated brothers end up in life-threatening situations. How do their lives intersect and what happens next?
Style:
suspense, captivating, thrilling, psychological, suspenseful ...
Plot:
brothers, caste system, problem, life is a bitch, brother brother relationship, intrigue, threat, family drama, confrontation, identity crisis, revenge, moral ambiguity ...
Time:
2010s
Similarity:
33%
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min.
Story:
Type A insurance fraud investigator Nick Stillman has his life extended by a heart transplant, only to be dismayed to discover that his donor was murdered so Nick could live.
Style:
suspense, crime drama, dark, detective, tense ...
Plot:
murder, insurance fraud, heart transplant, organ donation, investigation, conspiracy, corruption, ethical dilemma, life & death, danger, survival, betrayal ...
Time:
90s
Place:
los angeles, california
Similarity:
33%
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Germany, Sweden, UK
Duration: 104 min.
Story:
Nineteen-year-old Vera Kall cycles home through the night. She arrives at a farm, leaves her bike and sneaks quietly in through the door. She enters the kitchen and doesn't even have time to notice that she's not alone.
Style:
suspense, enigmatic, bleak, psychological thriller, psychological ...
Plot:
murder, uncover truth, puzzle, human nature, writers, hidden corpse, redemption, convict, classmate classmate relationship, murder investigation, investigation, secrets ...
Time:
2010s
Place:
germany, antwerp
Similarity:
33%
3K
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 115 min.
Story:
A London police officer goes undercover as a heroin addict in a small English town and manipulates an unsuspecting local junkie into working with him for a dangerous drug dealer.
Style:
intense, tense, crime thriller, crime drama, detective ...
Plot:
undercover, covert operation, drug crime, heroin addiction, drug traffic, corruption, manipulation, investigation, deception, double life, moral ambiguity, police procedural ...
Place:
london
Similarity:
32%
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 102 min.
Story:
A psychiatrist comes to the aid of a compulsive gambler and is led by a smooth-talking grifter into the shadowy but compelling world of stings, scams, and con men.
Style:
neo noir, suspenseful, surprise ending, tricky, serious ...
Plot:
twists and turns, gambling, con game, cons and scams, betrayal, poker, con artists, mentor, greed, crime gone awry, obsession, loneliness ...
Time:
year 1987, 80s, 20th century
Place:
seattle, usa, washington state
Similarity:
32%
42
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Mexico
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
The discovery of the mutilated body of a wealthy woman leads a detective to an isolated motel.
Style:
neo noir, detective, suspense, dark, creepy ...
Plot:
motel, investigation, murder, female victim, isolation, interrogation, violent, police procedural, small town, paranoia, sleazy, hotel ...
Similarity:
32%
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 141 min.
Story:
Seven strangers, each with a secret to bury, meet at Lake Tahoe's El Royale, a rundown hotel with a dark past in 1969. Over the course of one fateful night, everyone will have a last shot at redemption... before everything goes to hell. A young ...
Style:
suspense, neo noir, exciting, suspenseful, surprise ending ...
Plot:
hotel, motel, disorder, dark secret, surveillance, kidnapping, deception, cult leader, hotel room, multiple perspectives, gunfight, fear ...
Time:
year 1969, year 1959, 2010s, 1950s, 60s ...
Place:
california, nevada, washington d.c., reno nevada
Similarity:
32%
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