Press

Review - Here’s an indie effort that handsomely pays out - Film Frenzy

https://thefilmfrenzy.com/2025/11/12/the-vortex-worth-a-gamble/

Review - The Vortex is a talkie film that hangs on the long, resigned face of Gardell, a comedian best known for his long stint on “Mike & Molly.” It’s a dramatic switch that Gardell pulls off, quietly but effectively conveying his inner dread. -Cambridge Day

https://www.cambridgeday.com/2025/11/09/reviewed-die-my-love-christy-nuremberg-and-the-vortex-in-theaters-and-streaming/

Review - With a strong lead performance and sharply structured dialogue, The Vortex manages to make its gamble pay off - AMovieGuy.com

https://amovieguy.com/2025/11/the-vortex/

Review - Richard Zelniker delivers a reflective chamber drama that captures the dying pulse of 1980 Las Vegas while examining addiction, redemption, and human frailty - Just For Movie Freaks

https://justformoviefreaks.in/the-vortex-movie-review-2025/

Review - The final act might have benefitted from an epilogue or a tad more definitive conclusion. Its vagueness might appeal to some but given the investment in some of the characters it might leave the ending less satisfying than the rest of the film - Lyles' Movie Files

https://lylesmoviefiles.com/2025/10/31/the-vortex-review-2025/

Review 'The Vortex': A consuming swirl of tense drama and abnormal happenings at a casino - Reviewron.ae

https://reviewron.ae/A-Review-of-The-Vortex-A-consuming-swirl-of-tense-drama-and-abnormal-happenings-at-a-casino#google_vignette

Review - Far from slipping into film theater, Zelniker shoots with a camera that moves like the very nerves as Pete's consciousness. [Full review in Spanish] - EscribiendoCine

https://www.escribiendocine.com/noticias/2025/10/26/20790-critica-de-the-vortex-el-azar-como-condena

Review - In the end, “The Vortex” stands as a small gem — a tightly directed and well-acted work that remains engaging throughout, even without relying on grandiose cinematic spectacle - Asian Movie Pulse

https://asianmoviepulse.com/2025/10/the-vortex-2025-by-richard-zelniker-film-review/

Review - A great mood piece about vegas and gambling with a slightly rambling plot -

- Indie Mac User

https://indiemacuser.com/2025/10/23/review-the-vortex-2025/

Review - It’s flawed but occasionally hypnotic, buoyed by Gardell’s raw vulnerability -

- New York Amsterdam News

https://www.amnewscurtainraiser.com/2025/10/the-vortex-comedian-lost-in-spin.html

Review - The Vortex drops the viewer into a time and space where the hopes and dreams of regular people go to die, serving as a microcosmic allegory for all of life - -- - Film Threat

https://filmthreat.com/reviews/the-vortex-movie-review/

Review - Richard Zelniker's impressive indie film is suffused with a delicious nostalgia for a bygone Vegas - Movie Waffler - First look Review

https://www.themoviewaffler.com/2025/05/the-vortex-review.html

Review - Richard Zelniker’s ‘The Vortex’ Rakes in a Dramatic, Compelling Performance from Comedian Billy Gardell - The Contending

https://thecontending.com/the-vortex-movie-2025-review/

Review - Brandon Pope's Picks The Vortex Five Stars - The Screening Room

https://bpopetv.substack.com/p/review-and-interview-ryan-coogler

Review -Billy Gardell Stars in ‘The Vortex,’ a Captivating Gambling Parable Pittsburgh Magazine

https://www.pittsburghmagazine.com/movie-review-the-vortex-billy-gardell/

Rotten Tomatoes - The Vortex - Critics and Audience Reviews

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_vortex_2025

Billy Gardell Interview The Vortex On KTLA Morning Talk Show