by Kristin Ciliberto, Contributing Writer
Oscar Issac has been a tremendous actor for years, and he’s now teaming up with the writer of Taxi Driver, Paul Schrader, for The Card Counter. This film had its premiere at the Venice International Film Festival and now it has been released to the general public. But does it know how to play its cards right?
The Card Counter follows William Tell (Issac), an ex-military interrogator at Abu-Ghraib, and has served prison time before turning into a gambler. He meets Cirk (Tye Sheridan), who shares hate for their enemy John Gordo (Willem Dafoe). William wants to guide Cirk on an inspiring right, new path. However, Cirk has his eyes set with an obsession on revenge.
This film is sure to have audiences conflicted with its execution. For an audience member like myself, I wanted to walk away loving this film. How could I not love it? It’s got great talent like Schrader, a superb cast, and it’s an action revenge film. Issac delivers in just about any role he stars in. This film is more of a character study for Issac, who starts as this dark, loner character who has a particular way of living. He is haunted by the people of his past and wants to do nothing except play cards. Why? Issac’s character says how playing cards passes time away. Sheridan has been making waves as an actor who pairs well with Issac. There is a natural bond between them as their characters share the same bond for a person who ruined their lives.
Issac’s love interest, La Linda, is played by Tiffany Haddish. I feel Haddish was a strange casting choice. It seems like a good idea on paper, but her performance doesn’t serve her justice. She didn’t pair well with Issac, and between the two, it felt as if she was holding back and not exploring herself more as an actress. Dafoe is severely underused as a character who could have made a larger and lasting impact.
It’s a boring, slow-paced film that doesn’t feel complete in terms of its story. Schrader doesn’t have much ambition and the film isn’t always the interesting, gritty drama that Schrader makes it out to be. His narrative and thematic structure are similar to what audiences have seen previously. It’s the same formula repeated again.
Schrader used his signature style, and the film has a ’70s look, as the cinematography drabbed with a depressing and desolate feel. His direction comes off bland with dry dialogue, even though the film has a lot to express with its character-focused narrative. It isn’t thrilling once the film reaches its third act since it takes a while to get there. Schrader’s film was initially promising, but in the end was a letdown. I wanted to walk away, but I couldn’t love it.
Grade: C