By Matthew Daldalian
Screenwriter Kosta Kondilopoulos sits during an interview at a Tim Hortons in Saint-Eustache, reflecting on the writing process behind The Perfect Gamble and his upcoming projects. (Matthew Daldalian, Laval News)
North Shore screenwriter Kosta Kondilopoulos, a longtime Laval resident now based in Saint- Eustache is stepping into new creative territory with his latest feature, The Perfect Gamble, marking a shift away from the true story/true-crime storytelling that defined his recent work.
The film, now streaming in Canada on Apple TV and YouTube, follows two gamblers whose dream of running a casino quickly entangles them with the Russian mob. Unlike Mob Cops, his 2025 film based on the real story of two NYPD detectives caught working for organized crime, this script was built from fiction rather than headlines.
“This one was a lot more freeing to not be confined to true events,” Kondilopoulos said in an interview. The project began when director Danny A. Abeckaser approached him with a premise: two ex-convicts open an underground casino, only to find themselves outmatched by the criminal world around them.
Kondilopoulos took the concept and wrote a script designed to move fast and entertain.
A new creative stretch
After several movies rooted in real cases, Kondilopoulos said the switch to fiction demanded a different writing process.
It wasn’t easy, but unrestrained. Without historic timelines or documented characters to follow, he focused instead on structure, rhythm and escalation.
He said the only real constraint was budget and schedule, with filming completed over just 10 days across two separate locations. “They did a great job… I was shocked when I found out it was 10 days,” Kondilopoulos said.
The film’s tone draws lightly from Scorsese’s Casino, a reference point the director encouraged during development, but Kondilopoulos stresses that The Perfect Gamble is not a homage picture. Instead, he aimed for something more playful, a crime story driven less by message and more by movement.
“It’s very gritty, quick, funny — not like the movies that are out today,” he said.
Rather than a morality tale, he describes the movie as “two guys getting into trouble and having fun.”
Screenwriting instinct
After years of writing crime-based scripts, Kondilopoulos said structure comes naturally. He followed a discipline familiar to most screenwriters: a change every few pages, a protagonist pushed forward by conflict.
Kondilopoulos cited Save The Cat, a widely used screenwriting blueprint for story structure, but said instinct matters more than math. “As a storyteller, you just know you’ve got to get the audience back every five pages,” he said.
The film’s release adds another entry to the screenwriter’s expanding portfolio, which now includes both factual and fictional crime narratives.
His work with Abeckaser continues to shape his direction, but he said he wants future projects to push further beyond the constraints of reality-based stories.
What’s next
Kondilopoulos is already at work on another script, one he says lets him mix real history with imagination in a way he hasn’t before. He called it faster, looser and more playful than his past crime projects, a chance to try something new.
He also has two completed films approaching release: 12 Hours in October, a dramatization of the October 7 attacks, and The Pager, expected next summer.
Despite growing recognition, including screenings in Los Angeles and continued collaborations with established actors, Kondilopoulos framed success in simple terms: keep the story moving, keep audiences engaged, and never let a script feel slow.
Kondilopoulos will host a local screening of The Perfect Gamble at Cinéma St-Eustache on Dec. 7, an event he says is for “friends and family and anyone who just wants a good time.”
The crime may be fictional this time, but for the Laval-grown screenwriter, the gamble appears real and deliberate.
