User reviews

Beautifully written, marvelous characters, absolutely one of the best movies I've seen these couple of years.

It grips you with its intensity and makes you dive into the paraphernalia of emotions and sensations that creep all over the back story.

It's not for everyone, because it makes you think and feel, and we all know how difficult it is to make people think and feel these days.

Don't miss this.

I absolutely loved this movie! Not only is it beautifully written, but the two main characters are also sublime and full of deep emotional angst. The submerging into the demons of the past are very well integrated and it creates an atmosphere of dark intensity throughout the movie. Superb acting and great directing make this movie one of the best I've seen in a couple of years. But be advised, it is not for everyone, this movie is for people who are not too lazy to think, who like to emerge themselves into the emotional setting and are not afraid to feel.

An amazing examination of our inescapable incarceration as a species. This movie is about the monster of our new unfreedom and a man who it unravels. This is not a film about answers. It isn't about style. It isn't about winning. The film is a question about the impossibility of these.

What do we do if there are no victors?

What do we do if there are only victims?

How can one dare to hope in the face of hopelessness?

What is good is love if love is impossible?

There are rare moments in this film, where the action seems to enter the realm of real events, like a picture book that pops out of the pages as they are turned.

If I have one gripe about it, I would say that the editors seemed to switch between more abrupt tv-style edits and edits more typical of films. The whole thing should be treated as a film.

First, all the actors are excellent. Even the biggest name, Willem Dafoe, deftly keeps his presence appropriate to the story and does not overplay his hand. Some have criticized Tiffany Haddish for her demeanor, though in fact she kept to the director's insistence that she not be "comic", and I feel she is wonderful here. I need say nothing about lead Oscar Isaac, one of the best actors working today (sometimes I confuse him with also excellent actor Sebastian Stan). Finally, Tye Sheridan, a young actor I have previously found unappealing, but fits in here perfectly. His part was originally cast with Shia LaBouef, and while that probably would have been okay too - though at 10 years older than Tye, his age would not have worked as well - in this movie I think Sheridan joins the ranks of A-list young actors. I will actually say something about Isaac: he is 40 years old, yet is made to look much older for the present-day character, and is convincing.

But the movie belongs to writer-director Paul Schrader. Well known in the industry as a peer of Scorcese and that 70s era (Spielberg, Lucas, Coppola, de Palma), this is definitely him at his best.

The final note goes to the soundtrack, with original songs, by Robert Levon Been that, unlike the maudlin compositions often found with unknowns, fits neatly and is appealing. Credit is also given to Giancarlo Vulcano for what I believe must be the "orchestral" parts, and they are powerful as well.

This movie is well within my Top 5 of 2021. More to the point, nobody - except Paul Schrader - makes movies like this any more. Perhaps no one else ever did.

Dumbing down of America is clearly visible by reviews here...Movie is fantastic ignore shallow ignoramuses who downvoted it. I highly recommend this movie, yes its a slow burn but a very nice, dark journey. You wont regret it.

The Card Counter, the new film by Paul Schrader, produced by Scorsese, reflected in this film the cinema that is made when Scorsese and Schrader come together. When I saw it in the cinema, I noticed certain touches of Taxi Driver, which really moved me.

This was hands down one of the greatest movies I have ever seen. It was intense, violent (two things that I normally don't like about movies) it was beautifully shot, surprisingly romantic, thought provoking and emotional.

The torture scenes are tough to look at yet interestingly shot.

Hands down this was Oscar Isaac's greatest performance. Some of his best moments came when he didn't even have to speak a word. His body language and eyes told and showed you exactly what was going on.

Tye Sheridan was wonderful. The chemistry between Oscar and Tye's characters was like a beautiful father son relationship.

Only real criticism in this movie, Tiffany Haddish was SEVERLY miscast in this movie. I wish a more seasoned actress has taken this role. But I guess if an more seasoned actress had the role instead of Tiffany then Oscar would have had to share the spotlight. In this movie there is one spotlight, and its Oscar Isaac's.

I can't wait to see it again.

Great acting great movie I do not understand how people can rate this a 1 star with 2k people giving it close to 6 stars. Don't always believe what you read....especially here.

Everything about this film is pitch perfect and brilliant, from the writing, directing, acting, scene production. It is top notch. While watching I realized how long it had been since I'd seen a truly EXCELLENT film. WOW.

Oscar Isaac deserves every award in the book for his performance. The narrative has a symmetry that only really resonates with the last shot. There's an architecture to the plot that is muscular and intriguing. Tiffany Haddish is relatively small role but pulls it off to perfection. A film to watch again, and I will.

Stars, I wanna more stars to put on this film.

Thanks Oli, thanks Paul.

-This movie is so well made in every single classical film aspect, camera, dialogue, acting, casting, sound-track (!), script and story, that popular programmed brains cannot get it. It is riveting from the moment go. You might just wonder why its kept in so unrecognized .... go figure.

... with enough time passed so it isn't about what is happening right now. Of course, for this movie, it is happening right now, because secret prisons still function, all around the world and US is still fighting wars that are "illegal" according to international law. This movie is about all that, but also about the price they pay for pushing their people situations they can never recover from. This is also part of the American dream. Some have to join the army, some have to take on a huge debt. It's an extreme world. There would not be the possibility of huge success if there weren't more possibilities of a wasted life.

THE CARD COUNTER is a film for thinking grown-ups with an attention span, which accounts for its low regard at IMDb. These naysayers are better off with routine Hollywood drivel like JUNGLE CRUISE, HALLOWEEN KILLS, and whatever piece of Madea garbage Tyler Perry is currently working on.

As for THE CARD COUNTER, it is a brilliant film that crackles with dramatic tension worthy of Hitchcock. The whole time, it felt like a violent catastrophe was just two seconds off. The three leads each turned in a memorable performance worthy of Oscar consideration. The cinematography is beautiful and Paul Schraeder's direction is razor-sharp. Yes, the pacing is leisurely, but the story held my interest from beginning to end.

I would rather see a dozen more films like THE CARD COUNTER than one more $100 million epic about some doofus with superpowers.

By far the best movie I've seen in a long time! I'm not saying anything, Beasley I don't want to spoil it!

Paul Schrader might very well be the most underrated director of all time. What a beautiful companion piece to First Reformed this is, exploring the repercussions of U. S. foreign policy in a Franz Fanon kinda way. If you like a thoughtful character study where you have to pay attention and be patient, this is for you. If you are looking for an easy watch that you forget as soon as you finish it, there is surely something else you can watch.