Colin Farrell plunges into an intoxicating fever dream among the high-stakes baccarat tables of Macau casinos with "Ballad of a Small Player," a rare major Western film shot on location in Asia's gambling capital.

The surreal, dark and twisty drama co-stars Tilda Swinton as an investigator in pursuit of Farrell's velvet-suited conman and gambling addict.

It was filmed over 33 days in various Macau casinos, including scenes shot on live gaming floors while surrounded by real-life high rollers.

Farrell told AFP he had spent a crazy eight weeks living in hotels "in the middle of the gambling strip...which I can't imagine I would ever do" otherwise.

"It was all-hands-on-deck. It was a bananas shoot," he said at the Netflix film's Toronto film festival premiere Tuesday.

Macau is the world'

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