The Card Counter

This movie is terrible. In the casino scenes, the tone is so foreboding for a movie about card playing, that I expected beelzebub to be the dealer at some point and for the casino to transmorph into thirty-three levels of hell. It does justify the tone some as it begins adding more layers but the different layers just don’t come together and the final layer is just poison that ruins the entire thing. If it’s a sandwich, it’s not a messy sandwich, but it does fall apart.. which can be good for a laugh if you see it happen to someone, but definitely not good overall. This had to finish with someone drowning it all in gravy for it to just get above water... but then we're talking about a soup sandwich.

Oscar Isaac is brilliant and gives a commanding performance. The pace of the film, while frustratingly slow at times pays off towards the end. Overall a well worth a watch

I really should pay more attention.

So bad, expecting for something that just doesn't happen

Looks like watching a low budget cheesy Colombian telenovelas from the '90. Not sure how they could have done something so bad with such a strong cast. How can anyone give this movie 4/5 stars?!?

If you're looking for a fast paced thriller, look the other way. But this is a slow slide into the world of gambling and a man who, with his tortured past (literally), tries to redeem himself and save another lost soul.

Whether it was a choice made to pare down the budget or to serve the narrative, having most of the action take place offscreen did a lot to increase the weight of what I take away from this film. Maybe there were a few too many fisheye-lens flashbacks, or more reliance on voiceover than there could have been, but this movie made sense in a way many don't these days. Sheridan's performance wasn't what it could have been, although maybe he doesn't have the expressive depth for this sort of character. Isaac, predictably, did a fantastic job. Haddish was underused, I thought, but she did the best she could with what she was given. Is it against some sort of law to say that Dafoe could have hammed it up a little less? Paul Schrader does a good job of telling stories that aren't particularly straightforward in a "good guy gets bad guy" sense. I do wish this movie was a little more tightly edited. Perhaps they could have leaned away from the WSOP foolery. Yes, I get why the Mr. USA stuff is in there, and even why beating a dead horse is an apt metaphor, but after a while it's not serving the narrative. Nevertheless, The Card Counter is head and shoulders above most of the movies released in a similar timeframe, benefiting strongly from having a real story to tell, some depth in perspective, the adept application of contrast, and the clear understanding that not all endings need to be satisfying or happy.

Um filme de drama policial, considerando principalmente o pano de fundo, que se utiliza das formas como as torturar e abuso de prisioneiros em Abu Ghraib, apesar de em pequenos flashbacks, a trama é boa, filmes em cassino pouco me cativam, mas o drama intrínseco do jovem em busca de vingança e o amor quase que paternal do protagonista, balanceado com a personalidade forte da mulher que articulou o golpe, faz da química ao trio o ponto alto. E o surpreendente excelente desfecho premia a película.

This film is a wonderful meditation on the nature of personal responsibility. It's contemplative and relentless in exploring dark subject matters. The Card Counter doesn't shy away from showing the breadth of humanity, from all the deeply disturbing things that people are capable of, to the beauty of connection between flawed individuals.

A timeless redemption story that is beautifully written and directed by Paul Schrader. Oscar Isaac is excellent and charismatic, as always.