Exciting, clever and audacious - but not the masterpiece Sorkin was aiming for.

Rating: 7/10 (9 February 2018)

Aaron Sorkin has long been one of Hollywood's premier screenwriters. His sharp wit and deep intellect has provided the foundation for modern masterpieces such as The Social Network, Moneyball and Steve Jobs, not to mention TV classic The West Wing. Branching out here to make his directorial debut (but still working from his own script), Sorkin doubles down on his trademark energy to bring the stormy life of Molly Bloom-convenor of exclusive big-money poker games-to the silver screen. Framed by conversations between Bloom (Jessica Chastain) and her lawyer Charlie Jaffey (Idris Elba), we get a series of flashbacks that chart Bloom's tumultuous journey from Olympic skiing as a young adult to running poker games for celebrities and billionaire businessmen for nearly a decade. When Bloom is charged by the Feds over possible connections with the Russian mob she employs Charlie's help, despite his cynicism over her purported innocence, and it's their rapid-fire repartee, culminating in a breathtaking monologue from Elba, that provides the spark of the movie. In many respects it's a shame we dip into her past so often, because although Sorkin is a good fit for the fast life of high-stakes poker-his direction is much like his writing, a whirlwind of confidence and audacity-the film is never as gripping as when Chastain and Elba go toe-to-toe. Having sole creative control only amplifies what some people love, and others hate, about Sorkin; his razor-sharp dialogue is intelligent to the point of pretentious, whilst his sentimental tendencies (here encapsulated by a late-in-the-game family reunion) could have you either sobbing or scoffing. Sometimes brilliant, often exciting and always clever, Molly's Game is a more than competent debut behind the camera for Sorkin. But one wonders if his unbridled storytelling genius flourishes most when paired with an experienced auteur who can file back the ostentatious edges.