User reviews

This is not really a review, it should be taken more as a collection of impressions of the film.

Incredibly underrated film that amazed me beyond belief thanks to its perfectly blended plots and subplots that create a beautiful dark atmosphere full of anxieties and uncertainties. In general the film is really well done and the acting is wonderful and this helps perfectly in the characterization of these very complex and multifaceted characters. Having said that, however, it must be said that the film is very underrated because its value as a thriller is great and even just the poker games cause incredible anxiety.

Learned helplessness was the method created by Martin Seligman where he gave shocks to dogs in various states of restraints after which the animals simply accepted its fate.

It was later used by CIA psychologist James Mitchell.

Coming to this movie, the cinematography n acting is top notch.

Can someone tell me why Williams Tell covers all the furniture in plain sheets secured with twine in motel rooms.

What a movie, wow!! Wasn't full of action by any means, but it made you think & the overall character development was outstanding! Worth the price of admission!

I was blown away by Oscar Issacs performance he really embodied William Tell in the best way possible; I really hope he gets a fair amount of recognition and maybe a nomination! I'm so glad I got to see Card Counter in the theater it's everything a drama/thriller should be especially by acclaimed director Paul Schrader. The writing is so smooth in every instance needed and the gambling felt so authentic. I hope others appreciate this fairly paced drama about a man that loves blackjack and routine along with following rules quite a lovely film highly recommend!

This is a great movie about the trauma faced by American soldiers during and after the war in Iraq. The screen play is very interesting and I felt the emotion of Oscar Isaac and the rage hidden inside of him.

Don't believe the nitwits with the usual incredibly boring, amateurish and worst movie ever lines (you never should eh?)

This is one of Schrader's best. Thoughtful and will made in all respects.

Is just more like good whisky than a bag of popcorn.

I keep a few movies which I like to rewatch from time to time and this one is one of them.

Most (negative) reviews say that the movie has too little action, well to me it looks like it has too much action.

The movie is about a guy who is not trying to achieve grandious things but just tries to have a simple life. I liked this part the most - the calm, the hotels.. he moves frequently. Every day, every hotel he is on the road - it is an adventure, but because he is not trying to overachieve, he is in full controll of the adventure.

For me, the action of the movie, was a disruption of this calm and beautiful slow adventure and rithm.

So, is not a movie for everyone, if you are after a casino royale type of a move, this is totally not for you.

After viewing this film for the second time, first when it was released and then on HBO, I read most of the reviews that say it was the worst movie they have ever seen and tell others to stay away and don't watch it. I came to the conclusion that these reviewers are deeply offended and unhappy with the content and embarrassed to say it, they don't like it because it deals with the role of US military in Iraq and what happened in Abu Garib prison. The ugly truth of what went on there and how this film deals with it.. This film is well done in all aspects from writing to directing and acting.

So sad to see people actually sit and complain about slowness of the film or how boring it is. Aren't they tired of Marvel garbage and all superheroes ? If these opinions are true it shows how real artistic film making is in danger.

The Card Counter is easily the best movie that I have seen all year - which is hardly an accomplishment considering the recent offerings of shlock, horror, and CGI driven blockbusters, but it is a movie that has merit in its own right.

I honestly do not understand the collection of negative reviews this movie has accumulated. It is an excellent (although very bleak) meditation on the war on terror and it's lasting impact on American life. Despite scorcese producing do not expect goodfellas or the departed, it's much more like the Schrader written Taxi Driver which is similarly patiently paced and largely character driven. Although the movie is ostensibly about gambling and card games, it is really about 2 people whose lives were deeply affected by U. S. government torture. Rather than focusing on the tortured, the movie concentrates on the lives of the frontline torturers and the ugly lives they lead trying to live with their horrendous actions.

Isaac is excellent, a great subtle performance. On the level of Ethan Hawke who played a similar role Shrader's First Reformed. Haddish is quite charming and brings some necessary lightness. Sheridan is also strong. All the performances are understated yet complex.

There are some very jarring sequences depicting acts of torture committed by American soldiers during the Iraq war. It is truly unsettling to see all the reviews referring to the film as boring as I was very affected by the sequences and it suggests perhaps a desensitization to this violence. None of these reviews even mention this stuff! Despite growing up during the Iraq war and the Bush era of the war on terror, I still find the reality of American actions to be deeply disturbing. This film does not shy away from that reality but it also dares you to view the torturers as human as well, a very risky yet ultimately successful venture.

This movie is excellent. If you're looking for a film that is well crafted, well acted, and not full of cgi and action sequences see this movie. Know that it is a patient, thoughtful film punctuated by scenes of brutal military violence. Perhaps the best single reflection on America in the post-9/11 period during this 20 year anniversary.

William Tell (Oscar Isaac) spent some time as an Enhanced Interrogator at Abu Ghraib under Supervisor Major Gordo (Willem Dafoe). Tell was convicted of those inhuman procedures against prisoners and spent 8 years in Leavenworth. Tell meets Cirk (Ty Sheridan) who wants to kill Major Gordo because Cirk's father worked under Major Gordo and committed suicide because he couldn't handle what Major Gordo had him do at Abu Ghraib

William Tell sees an opportunity at redemption for what he did at Abu Ghraib and wants to help Cirk to lead a normal life and to forget about killing Gordo.

The acting all around is exceptional as this is a first class group of actors. I have never seen Oscar Isaac in anything, but I am sure we will see more of him as he is very good. For sure.

I believe most of us have forgotten about Abu Ghraib, but here is a reminder. Go look it up.

In flashbacks William Tell remembers what he did at Abu Ghraib and these scenes are very hard to watch and we are thankful they don't last too long, but even the shortened scenes really lasted too long; and there we are cringing, hoping the scenes end quickly. Yes, William Tell sincerely regrets what he did and says those things should never be allowed to happen to anyone ever again.

Notable: Tiffany Haddish as La Linda who runs a stable of Poker Players that she backs and gets a cut of the money they make.

Not explained is why William Tell covers all the items in his motel rooms with bedsheets. You can ponder that yourselves. I gave up trying.

While in prison William Tell learned Card Counting and when he got out, he spent his time making small bets at various casinos.

This is an intense and engaging story and we do learn much about card counting and casinos in general and then he meets Cirk. (9/10)

Violence: Yes. (scenes Tell remembers at Abu Ghraib) Sex: No.

Nudity: No.

Humor: No.

Language: No.

Rating: A.

See the meta critic rating 78 This is a great movie, makes you really think about what the Director is trying to do. Brilliant. I loved it. Acting was very good as well. After so many terrible movies past 18 months makes it even more gratifying.

It's definitely one of the better movies of the year without any of that PC stuff. Keep an open mind and watch it. Enjoy it. I'm not sure what these negative reviewers didn't like about it. I guess they just didn't understand its message.

Paul Schrader, 75 year old Facebook uncle, alway has his finger on the pulse of America.

Wow. Just wow! What to say. The movie gets every bit of detail spot on. Music. Dialogue. Casting. Direction. Acting. Story.

The confronting storyline is wonderfully counterbalanced with the development of relationships between the three main characters, two of whom have experienced extreme trauma. The relationships that develop restore hope and faith in humanity. However, one wrong trigger and we realise how fragile these people are -- they are always living on the edge due to their past trauma. This so well captures reality as we all have trauma which gets unexpectedly triggered.

In this case, the lead character was highly self-aware of his trauma and recognised the only way to manage it is to be incredibly regimented and disciplined (not ocd, there is a difference) in everything he does. He operates his life precisely based on rules and schedules. Things he can trust. This explains why the backdrop is poker. Because he can trust the cards and rules of the game (not necessary the people playing).

For those who have experienced irreversible trauma the story gives great insight into how to manage oneself to a semblance of normality; day by day, self discipline and only surrounding one self with the right people. There will of course be some dark days and the key is finding the right compass to navigate through them.

Very good background music good actros and etc... but could not found one actress in staff... its asian waitress who gives cofee (39min) when main characters telling stor about his best watched pokergame :0 who is this asian actress ?? Why she is not on actor list ?? :#

This is a story that unfolds as it goes - taking it times to tell its tale.

If you are impatient then this is not a film for you.

Very nice cinematography w a great sound score.

The Card Counter is not what you would typically call entertainment. You wouldn't expect it to be coming from the writer of Taxi Driver. But this is the writer/director Paul Schrader who gave us the much underrated and moving work Affliction, based on the work of the wonderful Russell Banks. This Paul Schrader does not need to shock us or get in our face. This Paul Schrader works in the unsaid, the subtext, the thing lying beneath the surface, sometimes so deep that we ourselves do not really know it. On the surface Card Counter is about what it's title says it is about: A poker player who is very good at counting cards and calculating the odds, played by Oscar isaac, who doesn't seem to know how to give a poor performance. But simmering underneath Isaac's seemingly cool, even cold exterior is a man who spent years in military prison, one of those who took the fall for the "enhanced interrogation" going on at rendering sights during the wars with Afghanistan and Iraq. We find this out because a young man comes into his life bent on revenge for a father who suffered the same fate and committed suicide. Despite his cautious and detached approach to the world Isaac's character does not turn the young man away. Like many of Paul Schrader's characters he cannot hide from his darkness. The Card Counter is a tense psychological drama. Beautifully acted and beautifully told. Isaac in particular is wonderful. The mature Paul Schrader does not show us as much violence the way he did in Taxi Driver or many of his early films. The violence in The Card Counter is for the most part an unseen violence that happens inside human beings. But it is there. And it is very much compelling. Card Counter is still very much vintage Paul Schrader. It just also happens to be a very mature and more thoughtful, more pensive Paul Schrader.

Played just like a high stakes game of poker. Long and slow, drawing in one, raises, and calls. Boom.

Tragic.

The moral? You reap what you sow etc ...

So much to love here... the acting, cinematography, music, direction, editing... it's a slow burn and I loved it. This feels like old school filmmaking with all the bells and whistles the new world has to offer. Loved it. The scene with the lights is beautiful. Cinema magic. The use of close ups on hands in itself tells a story. For anyone who is a filmmaker I think there's so much to love and admire.

The movie is poetic Cinema.

I don't see how it was "Slow-Paced", I thought it was paced pretty great and It gives you a lot to think about and a lot to see.

The writing and the acting are just *Chef Kissed*, It's one of those movies with a soul and you love to see it.

Loved watching it from start to end it gripped me till the end, It's a Must Watch and very different from the trailer so be prepared.