The Card Counter (Paul Schrader, 2021)

[Noodle Lizard]

I've been getting into my gambling movies lately, for whatever reason, and decided to look for some I hadn't yet seen. That's when I came across this - seemingly quite a high profile venture that's only just come out. Paul Schrader writes and directs, with Martin Scorsese producing, Oscar Isaac starring along with Tiffany Haddish, Willem Dafoe and Tye Sheridan. I've not looked at any reviews yet as I'd like to go in blind, but I would guess it's about somebody who can count cards in a game of gambling?

Paul Schrader's a weird case. He's done some incredible work in his time, but his name is quite far from being a seal of quality (we all remember The Canyons). That said, with the concept and Oscar Isaac in the lead, combined with Schrader's naturally brooding tone and Scorsese's influence, this could be something rather good. Or it'll be shit. Let's see!

[touchingcloth]

I would guess it's about somebody who can count cards in a game of gambling?

It's actually set on the tills at Clintons. It's a Loach-esque look at the death of the high street.

[dissolute ocelot]

Yeah, Schrader is a strange case. His early films were very good (Hardcore, Gigolo; not seen Blue Collar), and Light Sleeper is excellent but completely disappeared from public memory. I still can't work out whether Mishima is genius or timewasting, and I've never seen Cat People. On the other hand, First Reformed was highly praised by some people despite being a bit silly; The Walker was overpraised; and I've not seen The Canyons despite my sincere love for Lindsay Lohan. I guess on balance he's directed a lot of films for someone who's quite good but definitely limited, so he can't really complain. Still, I'm always interested.

[Rizla]

I'll definitely check this out when I get the chance, I've always enjoyed his work. Didn't realise he made Light Of Day (1987), good gritty blue-collar flick with Michael J. Fox and Joan Jett as brother and sister bandmates in a go-nowhere pub-rock outfit (with Michael McKean on bass). Must check that out again sometime. His Bob Crane biopic Autofocus (2002) was superb, Willem Dafoe on great creepy form as the Sony rep who helps entice Greg Kinnear's clean-cut sitcom star into his world of on-cam sleaze.

[Noodle Lizard]

I'll definitely check this out when I get the chance, I've always enjoyed his work. Didn't realise he made Light Of Day (1987), good gritty blue-collar flick with Michael J. Fox and Joan Jett as brother and sister bandmates in a go-nowhere pub-rock outfit (with Michael McKean on bass). Must check that out again sometime. His Bob Crane biopic Autofocus (2002) was superb, Willem Dafoe on great creepy form as the Sony rep who helps entice Greg Kinnear's clean-cut sitcom star into his world of on-cam sleaze.

Dafoe is so good in Auto Focus. His bemused delivery of "it was a group grope!" still pops into my head every so often.

[Noodle Lizard]

Well, that was a disappointment. Perhaps it might have been better to read a little about it first, because it wasn't at all what I expected.

What it is, though, is two completely different films melded together into something not quite as good as either might have been on their own merits. I'm actually struggling to see how the gambling and titular "card counting" conceit even fits in with the wider story or characterisation - it's presented as if it should, but I'm really not sure it does.

It's shot well enough, and the acting's fine I suppose, but it felt like no one was sure what they were doing this for. "Inconsistent" is the best word I could use to describe it. The ending is absolutely meaningless. The soundtrack is incredibly boring, too, as if Schrader searched for "things that sound like Radiohead but are cheap" and just ran with what he found.

Sad to say it, but it's closer to the "shit" end of my prediction than the "rather good" end.