About the film (courtesy of Focus Features):
Redemption is the long game in Paul Schrader’s The Card Counter. Told with Schrader’s trademark cinematic intensity, the revenge thriller tells the story of an ex-military interrogator turned gambler haunted by the ghosts of his past decisions, and features riveting performances from stars Oscar Isaac, Tiffany Haddish, Tye Sheridan and Willem Dafoe.
Paul Schrader is more known for his writing accolades than his work behind the camera as a director. He is most notably recognized for writing/co-writing works for the renowned Martin Scorsese. Taxi Driver (1976), Raging Bull (1980), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), and Bringing Out the Dead (1999) were all popular hits thanks, in part, to Schrader’s keen ability to bring a story to life through his impressive and captivating words.
On the directing front, however, success has not been as plentiful nor has it been sustained throughout the decades. Hardcore (1979), American Gigolo (1980), and Cat People (1982) proved to be very successful films in his early years, but not much moved the needle until a few years ago when he directed First Reformed (2018) which also landed him his first and only Oscar nomination. Now with a familiar friend producing, Martin Scorsese, Paul Schrader attempts to capture the world’s attention with The Card Counter.
I’m often amused in how certain movies are classified in terms of genre. The Card Counter is one of those that brings with it, a smile and slight chuckle. Action, Drama, Thriller are the associated genres, to which I’d argue that one out of three ain’t bad. There isn’t much in this feature other than drama and it isn’t enough to keep audiences captivated. Oscar Isaac is almost robotic and devoid of emotion as his scenes play out. To be clear, it is intended for him to appear this way, presumably to assist in building his character’s mystic. And yet, it doesn’t make you fall in love with Isaac’s Will Tell any more or less.
In the two main supporting roles we have Tiffany Haddish, Tye Sheridan and to a much lesser extent, Willem Dafoe. Across the board, the same is true for each of the performances in regards to their respective characters; plain Jane and uninteresting is how I’d describe this three of a kind. For starters, we don’t get enough of Willem Dafoe. It’s almost as if he was doing Paul Schrader a favor by allowing himself to be cast. Tye Sheridan’s could have been played by anyone and it wouldn’t have helped one single bit in terms of interest. And Tiffany Haddish is probably the most enjoyable of the three supporting actors, but she was also underutilized.
The technical aspects of The Card Counter isn’t really being forced down the audiences throat. That being said, casual fans of Blackjack or Texas Hold ‘Em might find some of what goes down to be slightly confusing. While some of what goes on from a card playing perspective is pretty cool, I don’t feel like there’s enough to entertain the masses.
The Card Counter is rated R for some disturbing violence, graphic nudity, language and brief sexuality. Most of the violence comes from reliving events that helped shaped a couple of the characters into what we witness in the current timeline. At 109 minutes, the pace is moderately slow but not painfully so. Save this one for a matinee or just wait for it to hit your home television. If you’re still stoked and pressed to see this one, you can check it out in theaters right now.
