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Probably one of the toughest kinds of stories to make, much less enjoy, are "Slow Burn" stories. The kind of tales that take their time to build up tension and dive deeply into what it takes to get under a person's skin. Martin Scorsese, a producer of The Card Counter, is no stranger to this sub-genre of film. In fact, writer/director Paul Schrader wrote some of Martin Scorsese's most famous slow burn movies, including Taxi Driver and Raging Bull. Except, while those films successfully balanced dark stories with engaging perspectives (thanks in large part to Martin Scorsese's incredible talent as a director), Paul Schrader's The Card Counter struggles to find its own balance. Resulting in a frustrating and sadly dull viewing experience. It's yet another case of a decent idea with not-so-decent execution.
The story follows William Tell (Oscar Isaac), a master card counter & gambler seemingly living in limbo. He travels from place to place, plays in any local casino he can find, spends one night in a local motel, then moves on to the next one the following day. As the story progresses, we learn of his troubled past. Before his vagabond days, he was a soldier stationed at a CIA black site where they practiced "enhanced interogation teniques" on suspected terrorists. After the downfall of that crime against humanity, he was sentenced to ten years in prison while his superiors walked away with promotions. After serving his time, William was content to simply live out the rest of his existence in calm travel. That is until a young stranger claiming to be the son of another soldier who suffered the same fate approaches William and offers him a chance at revenge against his former superior. Now, William must decide if revenge is still worth the effort.
If there is one thing this film definitively proves beyond a shadow of a doubt, it's that Oscar Isaac is one of the greatest actors of our time. The man has proven himself capable of portraying a wide range of emotion, character, and energy. Not only can he perfectly entertain you by reading the phonebook on stage, but he can also, depending on how he reads it, make you incredibly excited, grip your seat with suspense, or make you lean back in terror. Oscar Isaac's energy and conviction as an actor aren't seen often enough in modern movies, and we desperately need more of it. Were it not for his stellar performance, this movie would have received two stars instead of three.
Apart from that, there isn't enough of anything else in the film worthy of your attention.
As a writer, Paul Schrader seemingly specializes in bleak and cynical stories with morally grey characters that nearly cross the line between sympathetic and not-so-sympathetic. When presented by a tactful and skilled director, these stories can work. However, based on this film so far, I'm not convinced that Paul Schrader is the best director for this particular script. The impression I have from others who have seen more of his directorial efforts than myself is that he tends to be hit-or-miss with his directing. In this case, it feels like a definite miss. While his understanding of camera language and ability with actors shows to be well-practiced and decently honed, everything else seems to fall on the wayside with a lack of variety, repetitive music ques, and at least two visually symbolic shots that I guess are meant to be profound and relevant to the story, but come off as pretentious and lacking any substance outside of looking cool.
The Card Counter is not exactly a bad film, but it's also not as profound as it would like to be. Had the script been handled by Scorsese himself, I suspect things might have turned out a bit better. As it stands, it's regrettably too dull for its own good. While I do not doubt that Paul Schrader can direct great movies, this does not feel like one of his better outings. Still, if you're curious enough, give it a chance. Just don't feel ashamed if you decide to quit halfway like I was tempted to do.
Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm; thank you all for reading.
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