The Card Counter (2021)

The Card Counter (2021). The Card Counter: Directed by Paul Schrader. With Oscar Isaac, Tiffany Haddish, Tye Sheridan, Willem Dafoe. 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.

“Paul Schraderu0026#39;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 wasnu0026#39;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 filmu0026#39;s performances are generally strong and its aesthetics are potent, but its narrative doesnu0026#39;t hold up quite as well as one would hope.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe filmu0026#39;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. Isaacu0026#39;s character acting is disciplined and methodical, while clearly conveying the characteru0026#39;s emotional torments, erratic tendencies, and interpersonal challenges. Tye Sheridanu0026#39;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 filmu0026#39;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 filmu0026#39;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 manu0026#39;s past and present that spans from its opening to the very powerful final shot. 7/10.”