Well, the movie looks pretty cool, but one thing that a person should take from this is DON’T COUNT CARDS. It’s not illegal, but no casino is going to thank you for learning the skill, especially since the way the games are played is supposed to be based on pure chance. It’s fair to say that some folks don’t enjoy the random effects of chance though and will do what they can to tip the odds in their favor, thereby card counting is not illegal unless it’s done using a device of some sort that grants the player an unfair edge. In The Card Counter the main character, played by Oscar Isaac, is a man with a checkered past that has been recruited by Tiffany Haddish’s character and is also being given a chance by Tye Sheridan’s character to ‘make things right’ which is pretty ominous when it’s said in a movie such as this. But looking at the trailer it’s kind of obvious that this isn’t just another movie about gambling. How far it will go however is kind of intriguing to think about.
Oscar Isaac is a guy that’s really come up in a big way over the years, and Tiffany Haddish is definitely taking on more serious roles and proving that she can make it work in a great way, so it’s fair to say that this might be a pretty good movie once it comes out. Adding in Tye Sheridan, who’s also been on a run over the years, as well as the already great Willem Dafoe, is only another mark of greatness in a movie that’s being executive produced by Martin Scorsese. So to be real, the movie has all the working parts it needs to be something great, and now it just needs to deliver on all of that.
There are a lot of different movies that have to do with gambling and something going on beyond, and there are some of them that aren’t exactly appealing after about thirty minutes, or whenever the players leave the tables. But there are those that have a strong story behind the gambling and that actually take the gambling to a different level when the story comes back to it. This does feel like a movie that will have a strong story both in the gambling world and outside of it, as Isaac and Dafoe are both great actors that have taken on a few very serious subjects in the past, and Haddish and Sheridan are two great actors that are proven, but still, feel like they need a bit of experience when it comes to this type of movie. This will be a good way to get that experience as it does look as though there might be a bit of dark humor in the movie while the rest will be dramatic and even thrilling when one really gets into it. Movies like 21, Rounders, and various others are the type that bank heavily on the cast and the idea of gambling, but The Card Counter feels different since it does give off the vibe that it will manage to bring the viewers into a different world where gambling is still important but it transcends somehow into something that the audience might see coming but will still enjoy.
There are bound to be plenty of great moments in this movie and even moments that are designed to make people think about what they’re looking at, but the trailer already gives a good indication that things will be getting serious rather quickly as the story goes along. It might start out slow, that’s the feeling anyway, but it’s bound to get going quickly and with the type of pacing that will be patient, methodical, and even cautious in a way. These are all just feelings from watching the trailer obviously, but it’s also taken from the monologue that’s going on as the trailer moves along. So far it’s easy to admit that this looks like something worth watching, and perhaps even discussing when all is said and done. It’ll be a while, considering that the movie isn’t due to release until September. But it’s bound to be worth looking into when it does release.
So no, it’s not exactly just another gambling movie, but it kind of is at the same time. It’s like saying, ‘just another action movie’, or ‘just another horror movie’, since there are plenty of them out there, but they all have something that makes them unique despite the fact that they share a genre. This movie though does look like it will be one to keep your eye on since the performances by Haddish, Isaac, Sheridan, and definitely, Defoe, will no doubt make or break it. The odds look pretty good that it’ll be a winner.
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