IF LUCK is a lady then whatever you do, don't take her for granted, otherwise she'll make you wish you were never born.

Bernie Lootz (William H Macy) is intimately acquainted with Miss Fortune and her wicked streak.

His marriage ended in acrimony, he hasn't seen his estranged son Mikey (Shawn Hatosy) for months and his one and only friend, a cat, has gone AWOL.

Having run up vast gambling debts all over Las Vegas, Bernie's days are numbered, until his friend Shelly Kaplow (Alec Baldwin), owner of the Shangri-La casino, takes drastic action.

Shelly agrees to cover Bernie's markers over town on the proviso that Bernie comes to work for him as a 'cooler' - an anonymous figure whose mere presence at the roulette wheel or a card table can kill a punter's winning streak.

Sure enough, Bernie's bad luck is contagious but as Bernie edges ever closer to fully repaying his debt to Shelly, he falls head over heels in love with new cocktail waitress Natalie (Maria Bello).

Suddenly his fortunes change for the better and for the first time in years, Bernie feels alive.

Unfortunately, that's bad news for Shelly.

The Cooler is a slick and entertaining thriller about a man who has given up on life, convinced that everything he touches turns to fool's gold.

Only when he meets Natalie does Bernie realise how much he has to offer.

Macy delivers a wonderfully measured performance, dripping in pathos.

There's a potent world-weariness in the delivery of his lines and his awkward demeanour which compels us to care for his everyman with the bad karma.

Baldwin has plenty of fire in his belly as the despicable and violent casino manager who still follows a quaint code of ethics, and Bello is both sexy and vulnerable.

Her bedroom scenes with Macy are raw, intense and incredibly sexy, leaving little to the imagination.

The plot conceals at least four aces up its sleeve, building to an unexpected denouement guaranteed to leave a wry smile on your face.

Take a gamble on The Cooler: the odds on having a good time are extremely favourable.

Rating: 8/10