Mississippi Grind * * *

At one stage in this film the character Gerry played by Ben Mendelsohn is saying, "Something is wrong here. Something doesn’t feel right." I know how he feels.  Sometimes it's hard to put your finger on it, but something’s not quite right.  
That’s the case with this film too.

I look at it, and the acting is great, the character development is interesting, the photography is competent and the imagery is well selected. In fact the exteriors of neon lights, bars and cheap hotels and gambling joints are some of the best parts of the film. The outstanding music - Mississippi blues - should not be overlooked either.  In fact so rich are these contributions Mississippi Grind could almost function as a travelogue. It certainly inspired me to want to “get on down there”.

Mississippi Grind is a road movie. Two men gamble their way down to the Southern States.  

It’s an unusual and interesting film in that  it's about two straight men who meet at a card table and instantly like each other.They just take to each other in the unquestioning way we would when we are kids and you meet the new kid on the block .Let’s hang out.

One is a gambling addict, the other just likes gambling…. but he can, at least, walk away.

Although the the misery of a gambling addiction is made clear,  along with the moral bankruptcy that can come with it, it offers up a redemptive ending that could only come through doing that which they do best. A bit of a moral conundrum there

Like the boys themselves, Mississippi Grind kind of meanders along, and after a while you get frustrated by the lack of a dramatic imperative.

Still, with it's unique atmosphere there is much more going for Mississippi Grind than against it and it is well worth a viewing.