Review of The Card Counter (2021) by Bruceiscontent — 22 Sep 2021

The Card Counter is essentially another First Reformed, but without any of the qualities that made the latter brilliant. Isaac is good, but the plot is so contrived that his performance feels wasted. I’m not buying Haddish as the love interest either. They don’t have nearly enough chemistry, and her playfulness comes across as jarring next to Isaac, who is doing his best brooding Joaquin Phoenix impression.

Willem Dafoe, who could’ve brought some much needed color to the film, appears on screen for barely five minutes of the excruciatingly paced runtime. By the way, this movie is an absolute SLOG.

I appreciate the symbolism, the social commentary, and all that jazz, but it’s just not interesting to watch. It’s almost like Isaac exists within a different film, while everything else around him struggles to keep up. When it does pick up, there’s a handful of striking scenes and then it just ends. While there’s some shock value in the final stretch, it doesn’t make up for the snail’s pace of the first hour.

I can’t imagine anyone “enjoying” The Card Counter unless you like your movies immensely allegorical and boring.