313. The Card Counter; movie review

 

THE CARD COUNTER

Cert 15

112 mins

BBFC advice: Contains scenes of torture, strong violence, bloody images, language

At last. Academy award season has finally prompted the release of movies which are challenging and exciting.

Among them is Paul Schrader's The Card Counter - an unusual thriller about the traumatic effect of service on a former military police officer.

Oscar Isaac plays William Tell who has rejoined civilian life as a card counter, winning small amounts playing blackjack across the United States.

He is a creature of extreme habit - learning his routines after incarceration for abuse of prisoners in the notorious Abu Ghraib jail in Iraq.

Initially, Tell prefers to wind around casinos alone but he falls for another hustler (Tiffany Haddish) who sees the chance for him to make bigger earnings.

Meanwhile, he takes under his wing the son (Tye Sheridan) of another Military Police veteran who killed himself after release.

The boy has no interest in gambling but his ambition is to kill his father's former commanding officer (Willem Dafoe) who he blames for his demise.

These are the loose bones around which Schrader constructs a story which takes a while to find its stride but certainly sizzles once it does.

Indeed, only during its last third are the layers of the characters peeled back and does the audience understand why Tell is so secretive and has rather odd habits.

It is a reveal which is worth waiting for and is the platform for the movie's exciting climax.

Isaac is a compelling anti-hero and the film has a pleasing style both in its look and dialogue. 

It is definitely worth sticking with it.

Reasons to watch: Intriguing and a class act by Oscar Isaac

Reasons to avoid: Takes quite a while to find its stride

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: Yes

Nudity: Yes

Overall rating: 8/10

Did you know? The New Jersey Supreme Court has ruled that players cannot be discriminated against because of their playing skills (counting), even if they're detected.

The final word. Paul Schrader: " I can't let my mind go where Scorsese is now with a $200 million dollar film. I'm very happy to be making these handcrafted smaller scale films where I have complete control and final cut." Collider

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