Film Group
Film Reviews , Spring 2022
Paul Schrader ’ s The Card Counter is a quiet , yet piercing movie that packs guilt , revenge , redemption , and even love into a visually rich and resonant dramatic thriller . Much of Schrader ’ s screenplay dialogue , by protagonist William Tell through his journal , is virtually poetical ; not least , Schrader ’ s confident directorial choices have his trademark finesse and discomfitures . In tandem , the talent in front of and behind the camera melds into the film ’ s mellifluous forcefulness .
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From a kid who thought any kind of confinement was abhorrent , the confined man is comfortable with routine and regimen — Oscar Isaac ’ s portrayal of William Tell is viscerally hypnotic and intellectually stimulating . While doing a stretch in military prison , and besides getting to know himself and reading books , Bill learned how to count cards , play cards , and do card tricks . Now Bill travels a circuit ; he plays for small stakes , lives austerely — no frills , no fuss — and always overnights in motel rooms rather than casino hotels . On top of that , Bill sufferers from tortuously tormenting dreams . For counterbalance , Tiffany Haddish ’ s character is La Linda , a sexy , funny , smart , and savvy stable manager , i . e ., she recruits gamblers for a group of investors to financially back for a cut of their winnings . She tries to recruit the inscrutable Bill , but he prefers being “ under the radar .” Still , they are easy together . In Atlantic City an antagonist appears ; Tye Sheridan , as Cirk Baufort , catches the protagonist off guard , and during their early-morning first meeting , Bill thinks , listening to the kid , “ Who is this insolent little prick ?” Until he realizes their lives are interconnected through a onetime military officer , now a private mercenary . Willem Dafoe plays the insidious John Gordo with rant-packed gusto . Somewhat alarmed by Cirk ’ s slipshod avenge mission and hoping to steer him clear , Bill offers Cirk a road-trip detour .
Cinematographer Alexander Dynan ’ s choices in film tonality , angles , and distinct focal variations play into the gritty
The Card Counter **** 1 / 2 USA 2021 Opened March 3 , 2022
Directed by : Paul Schrader Writing credits : Paul Schrader Principal actors : Oscar Isaac , Tiffany Haddish , Tye Sheridan , Willem Dafoe
subterranean world that exists behind gamblers ’ closely guarded hands and the crucial subplot . For example , Dynan uses fisheye-lens distortion to defuse the beastlier immoral abuse ( the film replicates it ) at Abu Ghraib , the Baghdad prison-cum-detention center run by US military police ( leaving an indelible black stain on US history ). The sound design ’ s timing , variety , and sometimes ominousness , e . g ., indeterminable breathing heard during the film , is impressive . Benjamin Rodriguez Jr . cleverly edits in harmony with Robert Levon Been and Giancarlo Vulcano ’ s music . Paul Schrader tapped into professional / available sources for card game explanations , etc .
Metaphors and allusions aside , The Card Counter storyline is engrossingly tense , stark , and searing , as it evocatively builds , e . g ., during Bill ’ s nightmare , to what might to some seem a cryptic ending . Instead , its plausible setting speaks volumes , and where there is closure , there can be new beginnings . Besides its being educational vis a vis cards . 112 minutes ( Marinell Haegelin )
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