User reviews

Paul Schrader's new film is, to no surprise, another dark and meditative character study that seeks to analyze complex questions relating to vengeance and morality. Oscar Isaac gives a strong leading performance in the film, and his lead role was the primary reason I was interested in seeing this. I wasn't sure whether this would be that distinct and authentic a film or a more generic one, but the very strong reviews out of Venice convinced me to see it. The film's performances are generally strong and its aesthetics are potent, but its narrative doesn't hold up quite as well as one would hope.

The film's plot centers on William Tell (Isaac,) a former military interrogator who served 8.5 years in a military prison. He has an obsessive interest in poker, and plays in various tournaments while aspiring to go to the World Series of Poker. After crossing paths with a financially troubled young man (Tye Sheridan,) a plot of revenge on a former commanding officer at Abu Grahib (Williem Dafoe) comes into formation. Isaac's character acting is disciplined and methodical, while clearly conveying the character's emotional torments, erratic tendencies, and interpersonal challenges. Tye Sheridan's performance is strong and thorough as well, and does a good job articulating a genuine sense of grit. Tiffany Haddish plays a friend of Tell who often accompanies him to various poker tournaments, but her character is unfortunately not as well-utilized within the story as she could be. I love Williem Dafoe as an actor, but unfortunately he is underutilized here as well. The film's aesthetics are characteristic of Schrader and, to a lesser degree, Scorsese (who produced the movie,) but that makes them no less strong--color contrasts, rock music, wide shots in both scale and scope, and an overarching sense of grittiness. Despite these strong qualities, the film's plot unfortunately ends up becoming more predictable and uneven as it goes on, and ends up muddling its worldview and messages on morality--or the severe lack of it. The character development in the film is not always especially interesting or authentic compared to other Schrader films. Yet the acting here makes the film a decent examination of a troubled man's past and present that spans from its opening to the very powerful final shot. 7/10.

Well done and engaging, but audiences are less tolerant than critics of the intricate but empty and obscure ending--which shows in the chasm between the critics vs. Audience ratings. More often than not I fall in with the critics, but in this case, I think it's a case of defending art for art's sake. It may be unfair to go so far as to put it in the Jackson Pollock "drip" pile, but it's in the same barn. Yeah, it's better than the truckloads of horror/rom-com schlock being shoveled out our cinema's projectors, but it's a change of pace, and others might see something I didn't--but I doubt it.

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"The Card Counter is a protagonist-driven narrative focused on a hauntingly captivating redemption arc intensely elevated by an exceptional lead performance from Oscar Isaac. The actor ends his remarkable year interpreting a complex, mysterious character with who viewers must connect in order to truly enjoy Paul Schrader's layered storytelling.

From the effective flashbacks and rich narration to the unexpected final plot developments, the writer-director tackles guilt and moral responsibility in a somewhat convoluted manner with a few pacing issues.

Despite a rather expository first act too centered on gambling information, this is a must-watch movie of the upcoming awards season. Beautifully shot, excellent performances, and a story that will stick with you after it ends."

Rating: B+

I like the way Paul Schrader builds mystique around /normal/ people. Like in every other person there's a chance for all kinds of complexities and darkness. It appears vague, but it's right there on the surface. As a character study, and as a Schrader fan it is interesting to pick apart... As a film, I found it very dry, and watched it in segments over a day. The film feels like it's moving toward an apocalyptic confrontation from the opening scene, but it travels there with the momentum of a lazy river... so I suppose it's up to the viewer to maintain their own interest.

While i admit it's far from perfect i can't get it out of my head.

It upsets me to see all the hate the movie has gotten for being "slow" "directionless" or "boring" when it was brought to us by paul schrader and martin scorsese.

There is direction just not in the form most enjoy

idk tho. I am just a 20 yr old in my parents basement.

I didn't like the entire ending of the movie and if the concept was just about Counting Cards and playing Poker would have been a better, fun, entertaining movie... The entire time he resembled a poker player.

But what an incredible talent Oscar Isaac is becoming. He seriously carries the movie and lit up the screen...his acting skills are outstanding.

Charting the post prison life of an ex Army "Abu Ghraib" fall guy: the film moves slowly and cautiously into it's rythm, and does well with it's subject matter. We see poker, we see torture, we see wrong and attempts at salvation.

This film is about the heart and soul of America in many ways; it presents a slow, tacit narrative held together well by Oscar Isaak, and the support. There is an intensity that kept me fairly engaged - my rating stands: good movie, could have used a little more color in the DOP department, but otherwise a good find!

Here are my issues right away:

1. The film lacks polish. The cinematography in particular felt very cheap, i.e. Not cinematic. The bit players/minor characters seem untrained. But that's likely an issue with direction.

2. Tiffany Haddish is miscast - though this doesn't make or break the film.

3. There are a number (read: many) of misguided music cues throughout. This movie didn't need much music at all.

4. I think the crew was trying to make something sleek and trendy for 2021, but still grounded like a 90s character study. You could tell Scorsese was involved, but not TOO involved. If Scorsese directs this, it's a classic.

That being said, The Card Counter does a number of things right. Oscar Isaac is predictably sturdy. The tone of the film is evocative and absorbing throughout; it definitely gets under your skin. I appreciated the military tie-in as well.

There are definitely traces of what I'd consider "high cinema" here, they're just not substantiated by anything meaningful (no ethos). The film particularly succeeds at set up and payoff. It also reminded me of 2011's "Drive" - one of my all time top 5, so that'll definitely get it an extra half or full star.

Given my appreciation for film as an art form, I definitely can't call this movie "bad". I respect the craftsmanship, it's just standard.

Not bad at all. Actually a very intriguing film. Very dark and bleak but it showed some of director Paul Schrader's old skills again.

Even if the film sometimes is a bit all over the place and over itself there are really fantastic moments and a good story, that sometimes needed to be fleshed out a little bit more, but still. And then there is of course Oscar Isaac who gives easily one of his best performances of his career.

He is superb, with so many different nuances he approaches his character that makes him constantly unpredictable. Also there is so much going on inside which he perfectly brings to his audience just by his facial expressions. Truly a fantastic performance that lifts up a solid film even more.

Tye Sheridan was okay, but he can do better. He did have his moments. Tiffany Haddish was a very inspired casting decision that in my opinion paid off. She couldn't do it straight all the time but most of it and she was very convincing and actually gave her character an incredibly natural touch that another actress, who is more used to serious material, would probably had overpaid. That made her character actually relevant. Its a cute and beautiful performance. Too bad that Willem Dafoe was rather wasted. His final scene was great, but I wish they had done more with his character. The soundtrack was great and fitting the mood. I loved some of the editing and cinematography decisions that were bold but absolutely fitting the whole scenario. Paul Schrader is often hit and miss, and more miss lately but this was definitely a hit for him. Not perfect but definitely worth to see.

The movie in quite interesting and actually a great social commentary on privateers and the ptsd, however i think the approach to the topics discussed was off. The characters are mildly interesting, with no real back story or true motivation. The dialogues are a bit slow and fail to deliver the strong message the film intends.

Acting by Mr. Isaac is good but the rest cast (sadly even Mr. Dafoe) are terrible at it. They seemed to not be involved.

The "twist" at the ending... meh, predictable and not well delivered.

I think this movie was a brilliant concept that got lost in the delivery.

Hopefully, a remake in some few years might shed some light to the story and give it the justice it deserves.

The biggest fault is something I moan about constantly these days: at 1h51m, it's at least 21m too long. It was also about 20% too weird. Wrapping up the furniture was obviously some grand, symbolic gesture that I'm too stupid to understand. I would say the same about the final confrontation.

To my knowledge, this is the first movie that mentions Abu Graib and how only a few flunky soldiers were burned at the stake while their superiors got away without even reprimands.

Great acting all around, but I wish Shrader had gone with more of a straight-up revenge story. Most people rating this 1 Star probably will rate the new James Bond movie a 10 even thought it will make zero sense.

Solid film from Paul Schrader. The acting is cold but very well performed. Oscar Isaac doesn't really miss. The film itself is slow and brooding but never dull. What it lacks in pace it makes up for in great performances and wildly exciting direction. Paul Schrader's late career streak is still in full affect and I can't wait to see what he does next.

Fools been trolling here lately. Snowflakes doing what they do. Watch for yourself.

Beware: I had to skip some scenes that were just too cruel and nasty.

The bad: this movie (like many other Paul Schrader movies) did confuse and disturb me in (un)pleasant ways. Let's not forget Paul Schrader wrote the brilliant "Taxi Driver", which Martin Scorsese directed. Now both Scorsese and Schrader are back together again, but did they create fireworks again? Not exactly. This movie is firstmost a character portrait of Oscar Isaac, a hustler at gambling, with a very shady past and HIS PAST comes back to haunt him. Unfortunately the execution of this story is simply not a directional gem. Not bad, but certainly not terrific either...

The good: the acting is great. The suspense is good. The terror is haunting. I just kept guessing where this story would go. And THAT's the real charm of this movie: an INTRIGUEING plot, with excellent acting performances.

This director Paul Schrader is bound to confuse and divide audiences. But THAT's the "charm" of many Schrader movies...

The seedy world of professional gambling has always been a subject of interest to Hollywood, and Paul Schrader's film 'The Card Counter' has the expected vibe, as it follows a smart but essentially lonely character, with a younger sidekick in tow, who introduces us to how it's done. It also has a back story, our gambler having learnt his art while in prison for torture committed on behalf of his superior in the U. S. army, who has himself evaded punishment. In fact, this is really the main story of the film, and the gambling just a maguffin; the result is a film that feels unbalanced, where most of what we are shown is irrelevent to the deeper plot. Although it's well put together on a scene-by-scene basis, it doesn't quite cohere as a whole. A similar mood, but a more connected story, can be found in Paul Thomas Anderson's 'Hard Eight', a superior movie in my view.

I didn't know exactly what to expect from this film, but I generally liked it for most of the time. Oscar Isaac does a fine job in presenting an understated, complex figure, balancing his skills in assessing future probability with the anguish of his disturbing past.

But on the acting front, he doesn't get a lot of support. Willem Dafoe brings his customary menace to his role, but is woefully underused. He's largely used as a stand-up bogeyman for the film to lean its expectations against. Tiffany Haddish... reads her lines. She's not terrible, but the performance is essentially just personality, without any real character development. She's there to facilitate William's quest. The same with Tye Sheridan playing the character Cirk, with a C. His place in the story is fairly straightforward, particularly in light of William's teaching about the differences in Blackjack and Poker. Not a lot is required of the actor, and he obliges by not giving much.

The story is simple, sometimes a bit too convenient, and wouldn't stand close inspection, but it's serviceable. It subverts all expectations of this kind of film (if one could categorize it exactly), which is welcome. But yet, the conclusion seems rushed, and more than a little contrived, so as to be slightly disappointing in its inelegance, considering the build up. Oscar Isaac's performance is the key positive of the film.

I loved the movie until the last 15 minutes. The scenes about poker and gambling were particularly good. The side theme about what happened at Abu Ghraib probably should have been a different movie. The two didn't mix well. Despite that, the flow of the movie was great. The character development kept me interested. All of it was really interesting. But then they failed the landing miserably by abandoning what drew you into the movie in the first place.

10 stars for the first hour and a half. The ending deserves two.

The Card Counter is a crime drama with significant ups and downs which makes for an overall slightly above average viewing experience.

The story revolves around William Tell, a former private first class, who has spent an eight-year stint in a military prison for his role in torture and prisoner abuse in Iraq. Once out of prison, he is living a lonely life on the road as a gambler who is traveling from one casino to another. He grows closer to an acquaintance from the gambling world named La Linda who is escaping from her own violent past and planning on finding a sponsor for the talented gambler. William Tell meets a young drifter named Cirk Baufort who is in a negative state of mind after years of mental and physical abuse from his father who eventually committed suicide. The trio starts traveling together but just as the three loners feel like they have finally found purpose in life, tragedy puts their relationships to the test.

The Card Counter convinces on several levels. First of all, the three lead characters are intriguing and have much depth. Their background stories share violent similarities but also distinct differences that make each character charismatic and unique. The relationship between these characters is constantly shifting and changing from start to finish.

The movie also has a gripping sinister undertone. This atmosphere is provided by repetitive locations such as anonymous motels, boring highways and soulless casino alleys. It's further supported by dimmed light effects. The moody soundtrack plays in appropriately as well.

The film's final thirty minutes are certainly the highlight as things spin out of control. These scenes will keep you on the edge of your seat and keep viewers guessing how things are going to unfold until the final scene that is both beautiful and tragic.

On the other side, the movie also has several downsides. Its pace is very slow which makes it difficult to get into the film in the first place and keep watching it until the rewarding finale.

The actions and dialogues are as repetitive as the atmosphere and locations. The film shows several overlong gambling segments and the conversations revolve around haunting pasts colliding with potentially brighter futures.

Despite its downsides, The Card Counter has grown on me and is worth a try if you like slow-paced dramas with a violent twist carried by profound characters. The movie needs some time to get started and certainly has several lengths but all those things pay off in the final thirty minutes of this charismatic crime drama.

Isaacs stoic 'closed' performance is typically outstanding. The dude could play a tree with integrity. Unfortunately his performance leads to the belief that there's going to be a payoff ...

Outside Isaacs the acting wasn't bad, but I do feel the performers were miscast.

It was very poorly directed; I think he might have been trying to reflect the generic blandness of casinos & the repitivity of the protagonists life, but there was no imagination used in the camera work whatsoever.

Oscar Isaacs is proving to be one of the best of his generation & I can understand his attraction to this script... but honestly, until looking, I believed this was a directorial debut regarding behind the camera decisions.

Watch for Isaac, but little else.

Stop me if you've heard this one before. A lonely man who lives on the fringes of society seeks to atone for his sins by helping someone else. This is Paul Schrader's bailiwick, and with Taxi Driver, First Reformed and other screenplays he's written throughout his career, he's created a genre of films all to himself. (His body of work could be called a "franchise", a commercial connotation that I'm sure he would find darkly humorous.)

Like many auteurs, Schrader can't resist revisiting themes that beguile him. Fortunately, he keeps finding different sides of the same protagonist to show us, like a jeweler examining a diamond's flaws through different sides and angles. Schrader's ruminations on the self-destructive nature of men isn't for everyone, but when he's on his game, as he is here, his films have a hypnotic quality that filmmakers half his age would be unable to replicate.

Oscar Issac plays William Tell, a former soldier at Abu Ghraib who served eight and a half years in a military prison for his part in using enhanced interrogation techniques on prisoners of war. He learned how to count cards while serving time, and spends his days driving from casino to casino, earning just enough to not get thrown out. His constant travels earn him a living, but they also help him avoid remembering the things he did in Iraq that he still feels guilty about. Chance encounters with Gordo, a former military contractor who "taught him the ropes" (Willem Dafoe), Cirk, the son of a fellow soldier at Abu Ghraib (Tye Sheridan) and La Linda, a former poker player turned tournament recruiter (Tiffany Haddish), offer Tell avenues for redemption. Things don't go as planned, and violence becomes the only path left for Tell to purify his soul.

Issac, leaving big-budget spectacles behind for the moment, delivers one the best performances of his career. He gives Tell the cool, dark and dangerous façade of a human assault rifle. His slick-backed hair and zero tells belie the lethal intensity lurking just beneath the surface. Haddish dials things down substantially, giving her performance a warm vulnerability while retaining her trademark swagger. Schrader directs the proceedings in ways that clearly channel Scorcese, but with much more patience for observation. Scenes play out organically, with the actors taking the lead instead of the camera. The movie operates at a casual pace, and its payoff is not what you would expect if you haven't been paying attention. The scenes of torture may be difficult to stomach, but Schrader knows that like all sins, if they aren't acknowledged and confronted, they will always stay with you, no matter how long you try to run from them.

A lot of very negative reviews again on here. All exaggerated in my opinion. I agree that The Card Counter could have used a bit of oomph at times but overall the story was interesting to follow. The acting was rather good than bad so I don't see why anybody would complain about that. The cast has some good names like Oscar Isaac, Tye Sheridan , Willem Dafoe (even though his part is rather small) and Tiffany Haddish. The relationship between Oscar Isaac and Tye Sheridan was pleasant to follow, maybe too monotone for some but I thought it fitted the story well. Could have this movie been better? For sure! But rating it with the lowest score possible is just ridiculous.