When a Las Vegas bodyguard with lethal skills and a gambling problem gets in trouble with the mob, he has one last play...and it's all or nothing.When a Las Vegas bodyguard with lethal skills and a gambling problem gets in trouble with the mob, he has one last play...and it's all or nothing.When a Las Vegas bodyguard with lethal skills and a gambling problem gets in trouble with the mob, he has one last play...and it's all or nothing.
- Director
- Writer
- William Goldman(based on the novel "Heat" by)
- Stars
- Director
- Writer
- William Goldman(based on the novel "Heat" by)
- Stars
Videos12
- Millicentas Millicent
- (as Daviena McFadden)
- Director
- Writer
- William Goldman(based on the novel "Heat" by) (screenplay by)
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
- All cast & crew
Storyline
- Taglines
- Never bet against a man with a killer hand
- Genres
- Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
- Rated R for strong violence, language and some sexuality/nudity
- Parents guide
Did you know
- TriviaTo stay lean for this role, Jason Statham consumed a diet of just spinach and brown rice.
- GoofsWhen Nick goes to speak with Danny DeMarco in his suite at the Golden Nugget, you can see the Las Vegas Strip (the Eiffel Tower stands out...) outside the window. The Golden Nugget is on Fremont Street downtown, NOT on The Strip.
- Quotes
Nick Wild: I've been knocked down, blown up, lied to, shit on, and shot at. So nothing surprises me much anymore, except the things that people do to each other. I'm a licensed pilot, took karate in Tokyo. I lectured on economics at Yale. I can memorize the front pages of The New York Times in five minutes, and repeat it back to you in five weeks. I was National Golden Gloves champion three years in a row. I'm fluent in four languages, and can wrestle with a menu in five more.
Cyrus Kinnick: Jesus!
Nick Wild: Don't interrupt me. There's more.
Cyrus Kinnick: More?
Nick Wild: Yeah. I lie a lot.
- Alternate versionsThere is an extended cut available on home video running 103 minutes long.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Original Sin: Las Vegas and the Characters of 'Wild Card' (2015)
West was excited to work with legendary screenwriter William Goldman again after The General's Daughter and assembled an impressive supporting cast around Statham, the likes of Stanley Tucci, Anne Heche, Jason Alexander and many more. A vastly underrated actor, Statham easily holds his own among these and gives a fine performance as Nick Wild, first played in the 1986 original by Burt Reynolds.
That picture was a notoriously troubled production that left a sour taste in William Goldman's mouth, but he obviously thought highly of his screenplay, as story-wise, Wild Card plays almost exactly like the original, beat-by-beat. However, watching the on-screen proceedings it is hard to believe this is the same man responsible for such classics as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President's Men, The Princess Bride and so many others.
From its top notch cast to its look and pacing, Wild Card feels like it wants to a gritty drama, a moody character piece with bursts of action in the vein of Michael Mann's Collateral, a film with which it shares quite a few characteristics. Unfortunately it never quite reaches the heights of its ambitions, the film being unable to conjure up something special, unexpected, original enough to put it over the top.
That is not to say it doesn't deliver. Without saying much, the film draws you into this world easily and convincingly. The acting is very strong and the characters pretty appealing. The writing is sharp. Cinematographer Shelly Johnson gives the film a distinctive look and the editing is excellent. The score is composed by the ultra-talented Dario Marianelli. And then there's the action.
While there are only but a few of them, the action scenes, handled by Hong Kong legend and frequent Statham collaborator Cor(e)y Yuen, are incredible, exhilarating and eminently memorable. Even more to the film's credit, each one is very different, both through their visual and musical presentations.
All this makes for a perfectly serviceable film but one unfortunately stuck between two worlds. Which makes it quite a shame that Brian De Palma backed out of the project as his style would have no doubt elevated Wild Card to something pretty fascinating.
- Happy_Evil_Dude
- Jan 30, 2015
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $30,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross worldwide
- $6,738,764
- Runtime1 hour 32 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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