I respect Paul Schaeder. I respect him so much that I bought my movie ticket based on the strength of his name. I loved him as a director in Cat People, American Gigolo, Hardcore. And Blue Collar. I loved his writing in Taxi Driver,
Rolling Thunder, Mishima, Raging Bull and The Last Temptation of Christ. Seeing The Card Counter reminded me that those past glories were long ago. I wanted to like it but, try as I may, I couldn't find much to praise. The narrative flow and rhythm just wasn't there. I couldn't empathize with the protagonists (young and old) and we didn't see enough of the antagonist to feel much of anything.
To paraphrase a far better film, the 1954 On the Waterfront, 'It coulda had class. It coulda been a contender. It coulda been something, instead of a bum, which is what it was, let's face it.'
To paraphrase a far better film, the 1954 On the Waterfront, 'It coulda had class. It coulda been a contender. It coulda been something, instead of a bum, which is what it was, let's face it.'