When the stakes are too high and it almost costs you your life, how far would you go to win back what you lost?

Would you risk it all again for the thrill of the game? Or would you bet on yourself and change the course of your life?

These are some questions that risk-taker and gambler Jim Bennett (Academy Award nominee Mark Wahlberg) must have ultimately asked himself in the film, "The Gambler," which hits theaters on Christmas Day.

"The Gambler" is nowhere near to being a lighthearted holiday film -- it's dark, gritty and complex with the help of Oscar-winning screenwriter William Monahan ("The Departed"). Yet ultimately it's a story of redemption, according to "The Gambler's" director Rupert Wyatt, who spoke with Latin Post in an exclusive interview.

The British director, whose known for directing the award-winning, British prison escape thriller, "The Escapist," (2008) which was also a hit at the Sundance Film Festival, and "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" (2011), shared his vision for "The Gambler." Wyatt also delved into the character of a man and what it means to really risk it all.

With that said, does Jim Bennett truly have greed and adrenaline running through his veins? Or is he just a jaded, empty shell of a man in need of being human again?

"I always saw him from the get-go as a guy who was less of an addict and more of a guy who decides to blow up his life, start again and get rid of everything that has been bestowed upon him -- all of these social and material trappings and find a way out of that and begin a new life. So, it's kind of a story of redemption and less of a study of addiction," Wyatt said.

"The Gambler" is loosely based on a 1974 James Toback movie directed by Karel Reisz and starring James Caan, Paul Sorvino and Lauren Hutton. The 1974 version has also been considered to be a loose adaptation of an 1867 Russian short novel by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Needless to say, "The Gambler's" roots run deep as well as the "sport" itself, which is still thriving and overpowering many lives today.

While there are "some aspects of the film that narratively tread the same ground," Wyatt points out, there are vital differences between the 1974 and 2014 versions.

"The first one is very much a study of addiction and this one is not," he said. "That right there is what sets us apart in quite a fundamental way. Ours is a redemption story, I believe. So perhaps it may sound weird to say, but it's sort of an aspirational story. He's a guy on a quest, trying to achieve something. ... That in itself was an interesting study."

In "The Gambler," Bennett lives dual lives -- an English professor by day and a high-stakes gambler by night. The fearless Bennett bets it all when he borrows from a gangster (Michael Kenneth Williams) and "offers his own life as collateral."

Too ahead of the game for his own good, the overindulgent Bennett pits his creditor against the operator of a gambling ring (Alvin Ing) and cuts off his dysfunctional relationship with his wealthy mother (Academy Award winner Jessica Lange). 

"They (Bennett and his mother) are polar opposites in terms of how they perceive the world."

Comparable to a "waitress in Reno," who has married up several times and built up "an accumulation of wealth," she lives in "a massive pile of a house that is sort of a prison. He therefore sees her like the enemy, as sad as that might be, as someone who could destroy his dream," Wyatt said. "He has to walk away from her to sort of physically and emotionally start his life again."

Like a game, Bennett plays both sides and delves further into an illicit, underground world. While walking a thin line, Bennett grabs the attention of Frank (John Goodman), "a loan shark with a paternal interest in Bennett's future." 

"Frank to me was the devil," Wyatt said. "He's a guy who understands all of the aspects of the human personality, and he sort of uses that to get his way. ... Getting the money in the bank, getting that kind of power base build around you in a material way. So in a way he represents Western society, without getting too heavy about it, that is kind of what Frank is to me. "

Bennett on the other hand, is "trying to find spiritual wealth really. He wants to end the movie ... without giving too much away; he wants to end it without a cent in his pocket. The two are very different, but while Frank doesn't agree with what he's doing, he appreciates what Jim is trying to do. He has a respect for Jim at the end of the movie. There is a real strength in character when you're willing to blow everything up around you just to find out who you really are."

Meanwhile, Bennett's relationship with his bright student (Brie Larson) deepens, therefore leaving it up to him to take "the ultimate risk for a second chance."

"To me it's the crux of the film," Wyatt said. "We end the movie with him really making the biggest gamble of his life. ...That's what makes the title of the film resonate so much."

In the last scene of the film, there is a clever shot of Bennett with a "vacant lot" sign behind him. Was this done on purpose?

"Yes, to me it symbolizes a clean slate, a guy who has gone to a place where he has to build his life from scratch. Thank you for picking up on that because not everyone does!" Wyatt said.

Ultimately, what is it about gamblers or risk takers that intrigued Wyatt to want to direct "The Gambler?"

"The aspect of risk-taking was the most appealing to me, less the notion of the kind of synthetic gambling, the table gambling in casinos. ... That world is quite alien to me," he said. "But in terms of the gambles that we take in our life and the choices we make and the sort of win-or-lose of society, I thought that is was really intriguing to take a guy and use the aspects of his life to gamble away."

Check out the official trailer of "The Gambler," which hits theaters on Christmas Day.