Wild Card is a 2015 American action thriller film directed by Simon West and starring Jason Statham, Michael Angarano, Milo Ventimiglia, Dominik Garcia-Lorido, Anne Heche, and Sofia Vergara. Based on the 1985 novel Heat by William Goldman, it is a remake of the 1986 adaptation that starred Burt Reynolds. The film was released in the United States on January 30, 2015 in a limited release and through video on demand.
Wild Card received negative reviews and was a box-office bomb, making only $6.7 million worldwide against a $30 million budget.
Plot
Nick Wild is a recovering gambling addict who takes odd jobs in Las Vegas as a "chaperone" (his version of a bodyguard) to support his addiction. After helping a client impress a girl, Nick accepts a proposition from a young man named Cyrus Kinnick to show him around Vegas and provide protection while he gambles. While eating at a diner, Nick's waitress friend Roxy hands him a message from his friend Holly, who wants him to stop by her house. Holly is a professional escort, who explains that she had a date the previous night at the Golden Nugget. After the date, she was brutally assaulted and beaten by three unknown folks in their hotel room. Holly requests Nick to find their identities in order to sue them.
Nick discovers that the one who is responsible for assaulting Holly is a gangster named Danny DeMarco, who had two of his thugs dump her in a hospital car park. Nick goes to the hotel to confront DeMarco and a confrontation develops, resulting in Nick overpowering DeMarco and his men, who are tied up. Nick calls Holly, who contemplates castrating DeMarco, who then breaks down and begs her forgiveness. Holly decides to just take the $50,000 from DeMarco's desk and leaves. Holly splits the money with Nick and leaves Las Vegas. Nick takes Cyrus to a casino and whilst playing blackjack with dealer friend Cassandra, Nick goes on a huge winning streak with the next dealer, amassing over a half a million dollars, but has a sudden anxiety attack while going to the cashier and decides to keep on gambling, eventually losing all his winnings (as well as his original $25,000) on a single blackjack bet with Cassandra.
The next morning, Cyrus, who is revealed to be a self-made millionaire, wants Nick to mentor him on being brave, but Nick declines. At the bar, DeMarco's boys arrive to deliver Nick to DeMarco, but Nick fends them off. Nick meets with Baby, who is the mafia boss of Las Vegas. Baby has received a complaint from DeMarco, who claims that Nick broke into his hotel room, pistol-whipped him, and killed two of his men – all to fund his gambling addiction. Baby takes Nick to a room with DeMarco, where Nick tells his side of the story: that DeMarco killed his own guys, to save face after begging for his life, and that DeMarco bears a cut on his sex. Baby tells DeMarco to drop his pants to prove Nick wrong, but he refuses and leaves.
At the local diner, Cyrus offers Nick a check for $500,000 and a plane ticket to Corsica for what he has learned from Nick. DeMarco and his crew appear in the diner. Cyrus shows his newfound manliness by singing loudly as a distraction so Nick can escape. Nick thinks about his sailboat and then kills the thugs and DeMarco with his utensils behind the diner. Afterwards, Cyrus insists Nick take the check and the ticket, where Nick accepts and drives out of Las Vegas.
Cast
Jason Statham as Nick Wild
Michael Angarano as Cyrus Kinnick
Milo Ventimiglia as Danny DeMarco
Dominik Garcia-Lorido as Holly
Anne Heche as Roxy
Sofía Vergara as DD
Max Casella as Osgood
Jason Alexander as Pinky
Francois Vincentelli as Benny
Daviena McFadden as Millicent
Chris Browning as Tiel
Matthew Willig as Kinlaw
Grieice Santo as Cocktail Waitress
Hope Davis as Cassandra
Stanley Tucci as Baby
Michael Papajohn as Pit Boss
Lara Grice as First Doctor
Production
Simon West said that Jason Statham developed the project himself "maybe over five years". At one point, Brian De Palma was slated to direct until West replaced him. West stated:
West said the script filmed was the one Goldman wrote over thirty years ago. He later elaborated: