The Card Counter

The Card Counter

William Tell just wants to play cards. His spartan existence on the casino trail is shattered when he is approached by Cirk, a vulnerable and angry young man seeking help to execute his plan for revenge on a military colonel. Tell sees a chance at redemption through his relationship with Cirk. But keeping Cirk on the straight-and-narrow proves impossible, dragging Tell back into the darkness of his past.

  • Released: 2021-09-03
  • Runtime: 111 minutes
  • Genre: Crime, Drama, Thrillers
  • Stars: Oscar Isaac, Tye Sheridan, Willem Dafoe, Tiffany Haddish, Billy Slaughter, Amye Gousset, Joel Michaely, Ekaterina Baker, Alexander Babara, Alireza Mirmontazeri, Britton Webb, Calvin Williams, Rachel Michiko Whitney, Adrienne Lau, Fran Robertson, Bobby C. King, Ekaterina Baker, Dylan Flashner, Joseph Singletary, Kirill Sheynerman, Shane LeCocq, Olivia Peck, Rob Eubanks, April Alsbury, Marlon Hayes, Alireza Mirmontazeri, Fran Robertson, Brittney Souther, Kate Lyn Whitaker, Amia Edwards
  • Director: Paul Schrader
 Comments
  • matthewcraigdavey - 30 December 2022
    Schraders gonna Schrade
    Over 40 years after American Gigolo and Paul Schrader is still treading the same thematic territory. It's quite remarkable actually that Schrader draws from the same well three and sometimes four times. As in Gigolo and Light Sleeper, Isaac's character (who maintains a journal) ultimately finds equanimity in prison and in the love/trust of a good woman.

    There are at least three narrative threads in Card Counter, any one of which might have made a decent movie: the world of high-stakes poker, a young man's revenge tale, a story of personal redemption, a scathing indictment of US foreign policy. Card Counter not only fails to merge these threads into a coherent whole but even manages to leave almost all of the individual storylines incomplete. The inclusion of Abu Ghraib as a plot point does seem to be an out-of-left-field inclusion and Schrader doesn't have anything to say about it except 1. It was unjustifiable and 2. The wrong people were prosecuted. This, in 2021, is not especially provocative news.

    The redeeming quality of this movie is the fine acting by Oscar Isaac, Tye Sheridan and Tiffany Haddish.
  • hoogmeulen-08540 - 8 October 2022
    Precise study/excellent drama
    P Schrader is known for his portraits of lonely men. All having a burden to carry. Here it's a big one, carried by Isaac. His opponent and protégé is also tormented. The lovely lady stands for a chance on happiness. Will it be there in the end? Yes and no. What a repetitive and gloomy live these professional gamblers must have. Anonymous. The road trip these 3 people take was a pleasure to watch. Great script and dialogue, tempo seems slow, but important things happen every 5 minutes. Excellent drama. The end very cruel, sad, yet convincing. There s even hope and love, when you have a closer look.

    Underrated!