The Card Counter

"I had a little trouble following the story, and I thought it was somewhat dark. I am sure there is an audience for this kind of production, but I struggled to make it to the end. On the plus side, Oscar Isaac did a good job portraying his part.⭐⭐⭐"

"A confused mess... Spoilers towards the end are flagged. The main storyline is only driven by a strange decision by an older man to invite an obviously mentally unstable 20 something year old man on an all expenses paid road trip across America... For reasons, the mentally unstable man then decides, as any guy in his early 20's when propositioned to be escorted across country in a car by a virtual stranger as a Piaf companion, he says yes... The whole movie is spent guessing at the relationships, one minute the mentally unstable kid is "an insolent little prick" the next he's "a good kid that needs help". You see the love interest saddened by the fact the main character regards her, essentially a stranger, as a friend but then just goes with it for reasons. This whole movie is driven by weird decision after weird decision, like the inclusion of card playing, despite the name it is nothing more than a plot moving device to explain why this weird decision has a slightly different background to the previous weird decision. All in all I feel the writer tried to do too much and as a result produced very little but confusion **Spoilers below .... Spoilers below** In the end I felt like the main protagonist just deciding to take turns with the antagonist torturing each other just for reasons... Ok movie... Now it's my turn."

"FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://www.msbreviews.com/movie-reviews/the-card-counter-spoiler-free-review "The Card Counter is a protagonist-driven narrative focused on a hauntingly captivating redemption arc intensely elevated by an exceptional lead performance from Oscar Isaac. The actor ends his remarkable year interpreting a complex, mysterious character with who viewers must connect in order to truly enjoy Paul Schrader's layered storytelling. From the effective flashbacks and rich narration to the unexpected final plot developments, the writer-director tackles guilt and moral responsibility in a somewhat convoluted manner with a few pacing issues. Despite a rather expository first act too centered on gambling information, this is a must-watch movie of the upcoming awards season. Beautifully shot, excellent performances, and a story that will stick with you after it ends." Rating: B+"

"I'm not quite sure what I was expecting - but this rather meandering drama left me leaving the cinema asking what or whom this film was for? Oscar Isaac ("William Tell") is a gambler - a successful, under the radar kind of fellow - with a military past steeped in trauma. He encounters a young man "Cirk" (Tye Sheridan) with whom he has something in common - both men have suffered at the hands of his former CO "Gordo" (Willem Dafoe). The older man, wishes to temper the anger and lust for revenge of the younger, and takes him under his wing. Except, well, he doesn't really. He takes him on tours of the poker games, shares his winnings, introduces him to his fixer "La Linda" (Tiffany Haddish). That, though, is all he seems to be offering the young man - a shell upon which he can become a bored, barnacle!. That's when I found myself looking at my watch. Towards the end, the plot takes a swing for left field that is not only sad, but also a precursor to an ending that is frankly really quite poor. The dialogue is strained, and though Haddish easily wins on the star front here, the rest of the cast sort of loll around in a soporific haze of emotional baggage that really is quite dreary to watch. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood, but looking around me in the cinema - plenty of other people seemed to wondering why they hadn't gone to see "Spencer" too..."