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The Card Counter

The Card Counter

2021
Drama, Suspense/Thriller
1h 51m
The film, written and directed by Schrader, follows William Tell (Isaac), a gambler and former serviceman who sets out to reform a young man seeking revenge on a mutual enemy from their past. Tell just wants to play cards. His spartan existence on the casino trail is shattered when he is approached by Cirk, a vulnerable and angry young man seeking help to execute his plan for revenge on a military colonel. (imdb)
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The Card Counter

2021
Drama, Suspense/Thriller
1h 51m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 49.64% from 516 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(516)
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Rated 15 Sep 2021
6
95th
I don’t think anyone’s shot a casino with such accuracy before. Just how ugly and drab it is when you get in there, especially the casinos outside of the major ones in Las Vegas. Schrader should probably stay off Facebook and just continue to re-shape Pickpocket through the lens of lonely and violent American men.
Rated 14 Sep 2021
23
0th
I must be losing my marbles. This is by far one of the worst movies I've seen in quite some time. About 2/3 of the way through I nearly walked out of the theater. The film is flawed on so many fundamental levels. Was a score even produced for this film?? Did Tiffany Haddish have the most gruesome blackmail on Paul Schrader?? How was she not recast? I honestly cannot believe my eyes reading all the critic reviews and scores. I would rather stare into the sun for 2 hrs than watch this film again
Rated 30 Dec 2021
9
90th
A film that is both story and character driven is a rare treat these days. TCC is fueled by a minimal story, one that opposes the weight of past decisions with the vainness of present actions; Conceptually simple, yet fascinating and challenging in its moral complexity. It's a minimal piece of work, well performed and effectively shot, with editing and lens choices that would make any arthouse director jealous. Hats off to Schrader for calling his own film the best one of the year, which it is.
Rated 12 Sep 2021
68
41st
Taxi Driver re-skinned with an Afghanistan vet for the 20th anniversary of Never Forget. Schrader tries to keep it fresh with expressive visual and musical choices but it gets bogged down by pacing and it's not his best writing.
Rated 13 Sep 2021
70
58th
Harder Eight
Rated 17 Sep 2021
90
91st
Exactly what I want from a Schrader film. He's not "doing the same thing again" as some are suggesting. He's playing to his strengths in crafting a fresh story with a new broken, complex lead character.
Rated 10 Sep 2021
71
38th
Not as lived-in and bone-chilling as First Reformed. The moments that suggest a simpler, more coherent and affecting work are eventually countered by inauthenticity. (See: the heavy-handedness of the final shot - no pun intended). I wonder if Paul Schrader likes Pickpocket? Hard to tell. If it contentedly resided in the textures and thematic realm of trauma/"dependability of one's own actions", I think this would benefit. Alas, it's a solid albeit stiflingly humorless mood piece.
Rated 10 Sep 2021
65
48th
this feels as if some voice in schrader's head said "one more time with feeling." monomania is still there, journaling at a desk while sipping whisky is still there, wounds and seeking redemption (but never finding it because every possible way out of it is actually another way to do the same mistakes) are there but somehow it is rushed, formulaic. sure, schrader films almost always follow a set of rules but this time it feels uncooked.
Rated 12 Sep 2021
76
70th
Super compelling work from Schrader, Isaac, and Haddish. Dug the Robert Levon Been soundtrack, too. Not convinced this has much going on thematically beyond the usual "man dwelling on regrets from his past" checkmarks, but that was never something I cared about during the actual act of watching this thing. Between this and Molly's Game, maybe every great writer should make their own poker movie.
Rated 16 Sep 2021
81
92nd
William Tell (not the Swiss folk hero) tries to live down a past that, for him, is not redeemable. He brings order to his life with clean surfaces and reliable actions, so as not to rupture his psyche. Playing cards focuses. It is something he can do with his time. It is also a prison he may never get out of. Would I like for him to make different decisions? Sure. But he is a Schrader character. And this veteran made an exacting, captivating, densely metaphorical piece of work. Finally again.
Rated 23 Sep 2021
55
19th
I was actively begging myself to like this after how much I loved "First Reformed" but the dialogue here is just dreadful. I liked the hellish prison detours but they are abandoned pretty early. The film is missing a sense of journey and conflict and the slight violent tension that is earned is resolved off screen for no good reason.
Rated 11 Oct 2021
65
45th
Oscar is good in this.
Rated 12 Oct 2021
80
86th
The story is fine but what makes this so good is Isaac's impressively controlled performance and the moods created by the visual style and the highly effective soundtrack.
Rated 24 Nov 2021
80
85th
Traumatic reenactment. Gotta love when such a tight, quiet "redemption story" slowly turns into a revenge one -- or barely. Schrader has such a visual, spatially strict understanding of trauma and American brutality that this feels brilliantly anti-climactic to the very last shot. Abu Ghraib former soldier spent almost nine years in prison. Superiors got away, of course. He's now just a low-stakes gambler. Then he finds love. And a kid who he can help -- dad also AG torturer, commited suicide.
Rated 28 Dec 2021
7
88th
I can understand the scores. Many people were probably expecting Rounders and instead got First Reformed. When Scorsese talks about Cinema, this is what he means. This is art house. Knowing this in advance should help temper your expectation.
Rated 30 Dec 2021
92
91st
A direção do Schrader aqui é o epitome da elegância, não me lembro da última vez que vi um filme contemporâneo filmado de forma tão classuda quanto esse, todas as escolhas do diretor são brilhantes, é um respiro de chanel em meio ao fétido cinema comercial hollywoodiano. WEBRip no MakingOff.
Rated 30 Jan 2022
80
80th
Having a sympathetic protagonist who took part in the atrocities at Abu Ghraib is a film only Paul Schrader would think to make, or could successfully pull off, and he's helped tremendously by Oscar Isaac, who gives a mesmerizing performance. There's always been a streak of nihilism running through Schrader's work, and this is a bleak affair to be sure, but there are also some keen observations on human nature sprinkled throughout, making it one of his more reasoned and quietly compelling films.
Rated 11 May 2022
48
35th
Excellent mood and several cool visuals make this quite watchable, yet the story doesn't work and is all over the place and even inconsistent at times. The whole card counting thing is unneeded if they're gonna make him a poker player. They used way too many meaningless poker scenes with minimal cardplay just wasting time. Isaac carried this film with strong acting.
Rated 05 Oct 2021
89
90th
How loneliness and violence intersect in the modern American. Where first reformed is about the damage we’ve inflicted on the earth this one is a reckoning about the damage we’ve inflicted on the world The sequences of Abu Ghraib are a tough watch but also just a marvel of cinema. Gasper Noe esque tracking shots of shit sweat and violence. Poker and gambling here isn’t pretty like it’s usually portrayed in movies. It’s essentially shot with the same dinginess as the torture rooms
Rated 10 Jan 2022
72
51st
Those saying Paul Schrader has covered this character before- you aren't wrong. The tortured and lonely male at odds with a world he feels alien to. Still, the aesthetic and the performances that Schrader gets are worth coming back to.
Rated 11 Jul 2022
6
61st
The Card Counter is very unconventional in comparison to most gambling movies. More so, gambling seems kind of secondary to what really is a personal redemption story. It tackles themes that stray far & away from what you’d expect, but it’s biggest flaws are that the characters themselves are just fine. It lacks extreme highs because it places it’s shoulders on these characters. To it’s credit…Issac, Sheridan, and Haddish are all solid, but overall this is just slightly above average.
Rated 27 Feb 2022
86
86th
What I appreciated the most about this movie is how it handled its story. It is a pretty risky tale, in the end, you are trying to develop a level of sympathy for a full-scale monster without giving excuses for the things he did. And somehow they managed to do this, both Isaac and Haddish were excellent, Isaac was something else actually. And that night alighted trees scene was something else also. I enjoyed it more than I expected, it has profound messages about the nature of the army, torture
Rated 14 Nov 2021
62
58th
I love the sad and lousy casino setting and Isaac is perfectly cast. The rest is a weird blend of topics that never connect.
Rated 13 Sep 2021
83
75th
There is peace in misery. There is acceptance in dispair. I'm glad Schrader is closer to finding it.
Rated 23 Sep 2021
85
59th
Viewed September 19, 2021. Just like in First Reformed, the most unsettling image in The Card Counter is the overly bright glare of a laptop screen. Paul Schrader’s men in rooms now need to contend with the internet, a new form of solitude where you’re instantly connected to all of the darkest things the world has to offer. This film is about that underworld, and the people who bear its burden, and the people who don’t know life without it.
Rated 02 Oct 2021
76
59th
Оценка - 79 Общая - 69 Нарратив - 6 Сценарий - 6.5 Сюжет - 6 Постановка - 7 Целостность - 6 Монтаж - 7 Выполнение своей цели - 6 Флоу - 8 Сцены - 1 Личное - 7.5 Атмосфера - 7 Эмоции - 7 Актерская игра - 8.5 Саундтрек - 8 Синематографи - 7 Визуал - 6.5 Звук - 3 Продакшн дизайн - 5.5 Костюмы - 8
Rated 04 Oct 2021
75
79th
In a forgiving mood, there's a whole lot to enjoy. Isaac is great in this role. But this awful, poorly written, poorly composed, horribly performed, literally sickening song that rips through the movie over and over has the cringe-superpower to spoil everything. It's so tonedeaf, clashing and cheapening, one of the worst examples of bad music supervision I have ever experienced. I literally had my finger on the mute button in case it would flare up.
Rated 07 Oct 2021
48
43rd
The story isn't entirely believable but Oscar Isaac's acting has come a long way and largely carries this film. Willem Dafoe is barely in the movie, and Haddish's role is pretty minor too. What's inexcusable though is making the most important scenes of the film happen off camera. That's bullshit, and utterly lazy directing. Show, don't tell.
Rated 08 Oct 2021
79
50th
A really solid movie that mainly suffers due to its director having covered these subjects so many times before. Especially coming off the excellence of First Reformed, it can’t help but pale in comparison. But there’s still a whole lot of really excellent performances and it’s sooooo pretty. How is Schrader’s DOP not getting more work?
Rated 10 Oct 2021
48
19th
Another solemn but ultimately disappointing 'solitary-man-seeking-redemption' story by Schrader, and quite a comedown from First Reformed, which was overrated yet contained some of his best work in decades. The dialogue is overripe, the drama is airless and stilted (intentionally but to no avail), and the performances are frequently stiff and even downright bad (e.g. Haddish). The occasional visual flourish aside (i.e. the jail flashbacks), it looks drab too and the romance is unconvincing.
Rated 16 Oct 2021
60
46th
It is a strange film that does not go in the expected direction and does not bring a satisfactory resolution to any of the themes it raises.
Rated 17 Oct 2021
80
63rd
Intense
Rated 22 Oct 2021
68
82nd
Hey Schrader, we get it: you really like PICKPOCKET; but there are plenty of other movie endings out there waiting to be copied!
Rated 14 Nov 2021
56
43rd
I know I should have liked this movie much more, but none of the characters did it for me, and the climax felt like a anti-climax to me.
Rated 17 Nov 2021
45
46th
worth a watch
Rated 28 Nov 2021
45
12th
Despite the visual flourishes--flashback scenes, excellent camera work in general, the 1.66:1 aspect ratio, etc--and even the audio choices, this felt really drab... which is strange. There are some harrowing moments for sure, but a lot of this was hollow. Painfully underwritten, some really awkward dialogue, a lack of real chemistry between anyone and an underwhelming ending. Plot is okay. Appreciate some elements of the flick, didn't detest it, but it left me feeling cold afterward.
Rated 20 Dec 2021
6
56th
Mermaid Man says, "Count more cards!"
Rated 26 Dec 2021
75
51st
A very handsome film starring the very handsome Oscar Isaac, this film displays a depressing and financially volatile career, along with an aggressive back-story of abuse and passed on guilt. But the entire film balances this angry feeling with a feeling of hopefulness, instigated by Isaac's caring for a younger generation. The ending may be ripping off certain other Schrader films (all of which rip off a certain Bresson film), but it's the appropriate ending, and it's shot better this time.
Rated 02 Jan 2022
86
82nd
Schrader doing Pickpocket, to be sure, but I really appreciate the way he emphasizes the other side--a man who wants to be good, to overcome the sins of his past. Ultimately, his options in this world are limited to what he knows, the tattoo on his back a silent witness to another way.
Rated 06 Jan 2022
75
40th
if drive (2011) was too fast for you, give this redemption-brood-piece a shot
Rated 08 Feb 2022
50
22nd
Kumar filmi. Eski asker, yeni mahkum olan 1 kumarbaz, gelmişiyle geçmişiyle hesaplaşmaya çalışır. Filmin konusu iyi olsa da, anlatım tarzı seyirciyi yoruyor. Oscar Isaac iyi olduğu yerler kadar, performansının aşağıda olduğu sahneler de yok değil. Ocean's Eleven tarzı bu filmde yaramamış. Dalgalandım da duruldum. Filmin sonunda, parmak. Parmak arası terliğe çorap giyilir mi? Moda katili. USA USA USA
Rated 14 Feb 2022
82
82nd
Oscar Isaac kills it as the monosyllabic card player with a dark past.
Rated 25 Mar 2022
35
19th
Many years ago, Paul Schrader really knew how to write. That's all gone now. The Card Counter is crawling with only the tiredest cliches. There is not an original frame in the entire movie.
Rated 08 May 2022
77
65th
Only Sheridan here seems to authentically speak in Schrader’s cadence, which makes sense by the end. Paul’s films are to me always about how far you can go with God’s Grace - the very threshold of self - before caving and actually asking for help. I whispered an, “Oh, no” in a moment (which never happens these days watching a film), but it then cascades into everything I thought would happen. The end credits linger on a connection reconciling Original Sin, a growth in his work I did not expect.
Rated 05 Jun 2022
45
30th
I badly want to like this tortured character study more, but there isn't one character who feels like a real person. Stretches of awkward dialogue and flimsy motivations compound the problem.
Rated 17 Jul 2022
45
40th
PSA to tall casting directors: don't cast Tiffany Haddish.
Rated 05 Oct 2022
63
34th
Good acting by Isaac here. Slow building story, but worth your time if you want a to go on a sometimes gritty psychological journey w his character. Far too many slow moments for me with some interesting character choices as well. Not a great execution for me, but was happy I watched. 6.3
Rated 04 Sep 2022
76
9th
Started promising, became very boring and stupid.
Rated 08 Sep 2022
60
58th
ger; [the Card counter]; ein Soldat lernte im Knast das Kartenspielen und soll mit seinen Fähigkeiten zum karten zählen hoch hinaus, doch er liebt neben dem Spiel eine sich wiederholende Routine.;
Rated 28 Dec 2022
78
80th
Yet another Schrader MC grapples with the ramifications of his troubled past. The ending didn't quite work for me but Isaacs performance is strong enough that I don't mind.
Rated 06 Jan 2023
7
48th
It has a complete lack of atmosphere, uncanny almost.
Rated 29 May 2023
72
33rd
This film is carried by the performance of Oscar Issac. Issac's performance is great in this movie. The script has some slow spots and other moments that are interesting. Overall I would recommend this film.
Rated 27 Jun 2023
70
77th
After looping through purgatory, a man tries to save his son from tyranny (Tell), learning to accept his unacceptability (Tillich). I liked the sparseness of this much more than I was expecting, giving everything a cold but relentless sense of tension. It is quite remarkable that Schrader never ceases to want to write and direct one remake of TAXI DRIVER after another: surprisingly, this is one of his most successful attempts. At the same time, it's a powerful indictment of contemporary tyranny.
Rated 02 Jul 2023
76
86th
I am conflicted by Schrader. After hating "Light Sleeper", I watched this thinking it would be more of the same. The music, while nowhere near as bad as in Light Sleeper, starts out cringy, finishes strong. I loved Isaacs performance, while Sheridan, Haddish, and Defoe are good. There is cringe of course (USA! USA!), but I enjoyed this movie.
Rated 07 Sep 2023
75
61st
The movie's pace is slow but in a good way, not for those seeking action. The movie is perfect for relaxing and appreciating the great acting and ambiance. There's no big finish at the end.
Rated 27 Dec 2023
65
45th
Meeeeh... I really don't know what I think about this one.
Rated 14 Feb 2024
50
5th
Weird movie. Can't believe Saif liked it.
Rated 14 Mar 2024
80
79th
This is more sinister than may initially seem. The cats eye camerawork adds to the creepy sense of claustrophobia felt during the prison set scenes. Compared to the stylish scenes in a casino featuring the card games, these scenes show a real bleakness. Oceans anything, this is not but its good, dialogue heavy, thoughtful stuff. It has quite a menacing tone to it. Recommended.

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