Aaron Sorkin's directorial debut is largely an extension of his existing screenwriting persona - his recent run of high-powered biopics abut strongminded central characters achieving success at the expense of those around them ("The Social Network", "Steve Jobs"), while also picking up some of the montage skills that directors like David Fincher and Danny Boyle have given his work. Sorkin has a very recognisable writers voice - fast paced, precise, verbose while keeping the words interesting, culturally aware ("Molly's Game" includes references to Arthur Miller, Robert Frost and Langston Hughes) and highly protagonist-focussed.
The difference, of course, is that this time the figure in the centre is female - Jessica Chastain as the woman who parlayed a small job for a hollywood fixer into a high-rolling series of poker games in both LA and New York, only to fall afoul of the justice department when her games got too close to the russian mafia. It's an intriguing story that, although up for a "Best adapted screenplay" oscar, goes past the publication of the source book to deal with what happened afterwards. Chastain is spot on as a Sorkin protagonist - there's no question she knows exactly who she is and exactly what she's doing, and the movie is entirely hers. Supporting cast is pretty strong too - Idris Elba as her lawyer, persuaded there's more to her than simply tabloid fodder, Michael Cera as a snaky hollywood celebrity who uses poker to stoke his ego, Chris O'Dowd as a fumbling player whose inept advances on Molly lead to her downfall, and Kevin Costner as her estranged father, who somehow pulls off a late-movie conversation that should, by rights, be an obnoxious oversimplification of a complex character, and is instead just the right way to resolve things.
This is a solid, clever piece with a kickass role for Chastain and an intriguing story to tell. Recommended.
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