The Card Counter Parent Guide

After spending eight years in military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Bill Tell (Oscar Isaac) now makes a living by travelling from casino to casino, counting cards and winning small pots at blackjack and poker. It looks like that’s how he’ll spend the rest of his life until a chance encounter with Cirk (Tye Sheridan), son of one of Bill’s military colleagues. The troubled young man has half a plan to get back at Major Gordo (Willem Dafoe), the man responsible for Bill’s time in prison – he just needs a little help figuring out the other half. But Bill has other things on his plate. He’s now participating in a major multi-city poker tournament after being signed up by pro gambling backer La Linda (Tiffany Haddish). No matter which direction Bill goes, he’s going to have to confront his dark past.

This production is certainly an ambitious project. It’s replete with themes of moral responsibility, torture, and of course, the complex and detailed intricacies of card counting and poker tournaments. If those things don’t quite sound related to you, you’d be right. And the film isn’t about to help you join the dots. I’m really not sure what to make of the film, and that confusion is only the beginning of my problems.

Despite a remarkable cast and an impressive filmography from the writer/director, Paul Schrader, and Martin Scorsese as executive producer, this movie is a bit of a mess. Dialogue is, depending on the scene, either tolerable or a pretty good substitute for lumber. The actors are clearly putting in some effort, but the outcome doesn’t always reflect that.

On the other hand, The Card Counter has won some glowing critical acclaim, so maybe I just missed something. What I didn’t miss were the scenes of brutal torture and full-frontal male nudity, so even if the rest of the film was better than I gave it credit for, this still isn’t family entertainment. There’s also a healthy dose of profanity throughout, although that does seem like pretty small potatoes next to actual state-sponsored torture.

As far as mixed bags go, this one is a little more mixed than most. For my money, I like a little more consistency and a little less nudity, but I will give the film some credit: It will make you think. Not necessarily about anything you want to think about, or about things that are in any way related, but it’ll make you think. Whether that sounds fun or not is up to you.