The Card Counter in a way sums up the best of Paul Schrader's range: it undeniably belongs to the screenwriter of Scorsese's films, its elegance meets the expectations for a film of the director of First Reformed; yet, it manages to avoid redundancy, and maintains a distinct trait of its own.
A character driven screenplay, as many of Schrader's films, it builds on the mistery surrounding its lead, William Tell (Oscar Isaac) and his shadowy past, as he tries to seek a form of redemption in helping a young boy (Tye Sheridan) that has indirectly been affected by events similar to his own.
An unpredictable outsider reminiscent of Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver, but more methodical and rational, a character that acts as narrator in Schrader's signature voice-overs but whose psyche remains out of the viewer's sight, a feature that further increases the fascinating aura of this contemporary dark romantic hero.
The one negative note is the marginal role of Willem Dafoe's character, central to the story but that hardly has any screentime, and of whose motivations hardly any clue is provided.
It is also another Schrader film that homages Bresson, although subtly. While First Reformed is strongly derivative of Diary of a Country Priest, The Card Counter references Pickpocket, although in a less persistent manner.
(extract from my full review on comeandreview)
A character driven screenplay, as many of Schrader's films, it builds on the mistery surrounding its lead, William Tell (Oscar Isaac) and his shadowy past, as he tries to seek a form of redemption in helping a young boy (Tye Sheridan) that has indirectly been affected by events similar to his own.
An unpredictable outsider reminiscent of Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver, but more methodical and rational, a character that acts as narrator in Schrader's signature voice-overs but whose psyche remains out of the viewer's sight, a feature that further increases the fascinating aura of this contemporary dark romantic hero.
The one negative note is the marginal role of Willem Dafoe's character, central to the story but that hardly has any screentime, and of whose motivations hardly any clue is provided.
It is also another Schrader film that homages Bresson, although subtly. While First Reformed is strongly derivative of Diary of a Country Priest, The Card Counter references Pickpocket, although in a less persistent manner.
(extract from my full review on comeandreview)