Mississippi Grind review: A finely-tuned Ryan Reynolds and Ben Mendelsohn bromance

A finely tuned bromance between Ryan Reynolds and the ubiquitous Ben Mendelsohn (on a roll since his Emmy-nominated role in Netflix's Bloodline earlier this year) is at the heart of this poignant indie movie. The film takes its inspiration from '70s flicks like The Gambler, evoking an America where pioneers had given way to lost souls.

The plot may be too meandering for some, but it's the subtly changing dynamic between Mendelsohn's perpetual loser Gerry and Reynolds' indefatigable optimist Curtis that give it shape. Las Vegas would have been too brightly lit and in-your-face for co-writer/directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (Half Nelson) who instead set their story of gambling addiction in the Deep South where the vibe is languid and the buildings as ramshackle as Gerry.

He looks set to rack up more poker debts when Curtis breezes into the frame, oozing charm in a way that feels like trouble for someone so impressionable. Boden and Fleck capture a light in Gerry's eyes when Curtis turns his attention on him, but also a sense of deflation when the younger man acts like an ass with the waiter.

Of course, Curtis is just kidding around – that's the kind of guy he is, and Gerry's relief is palpable. This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship, especially when Gerry starts winning.

Curtis could be working an angle, but his on-off girlfriend - a streetwise hooker played by Sienna Miller - suggests that it's Curtis who should be on his guard. The balance of power keeps shifting between the two men and there's a slight atmosphere of portent that follows as they make their way down through the Southern states determined to get lucky.

Reynolds' scenes with Miller allow him to explore the character beyond the bravado, revealing darker aspects without the hindrance of obtuse plot twists. Mendelsohn, too, peels through multiple layers, trying to figure out whether Curtis is essentially good or bad.

There are clichés, most notably in the distant relationship Curtis has with his lounge singer momma (Marshall Chapman) while, for Gerry, there is the disdain with which his ex-wife (Robin Weigert) looks upon him after he lives down to her expectations. Boden and Fleck's direction teases out the underlying tension so subtly that the film bristles with energy.

The budding friendship between Gerry and Curtis feels organic and touchingly delicate, and it brings its own kind of momentum - always teetering on the edge of desperate co-dependency, or crushing disappointment. The finale may feel overblown given everything that precedes it, but the journey is winding, tense and unpredictable right up to the last spin of the roulette wheel.

Directors: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck; Screenwriters: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck; Starring: Ben Mendelsohn, Ryan Reynolds, Analeigh Tipton, Sienna Miller, Robin Weigert, Alfre Woodard; Running time: 109 mins; Certificate: 15