I watched Paul Schroeder’s film The Card Counter, 2021. The director and screenwriter Schroeder is best known as the screenwriter of Martin Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver,” “Raging Bull,” and “The Last Temptation of Christ,” which I liked. I also like Oscar Isaac, who I also like.
Former military officer William Tell, as he now calls himself,
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I watched Paul Schroeder’s film The Card Counter, 2021. The director and screenwriter Schroeder is best known as the screenwriter of Martin Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver,” “Raging Bull,” and “The Last Temptation of Christ,” which I liked. I also like Oscar Isaac, who I also like. Former military officer William Tell, as he now calls himself, after serving 8.5 years in a military prison where he was placed for war crimes of torturing prisoners in Abu Ghraib prison, was released and quietly engaged in playing cards in casinos, a game he learned in prison. He doesn’t stick out, he doesn’t strive for big wins, although he could, abilities allow, but he wants to be an unrecognizable player. He travels from one casino to another, stays only in motels and then for one night, and each time his bed is accompanied by a ritual - he wraps or covers with cloth all objects in the room, and at night writes a diary. But one day he accidentally attends a conference at which his former mentor speaks, who taught him all the methods of so-called interrogation with bias, which thrives on itself, then imprisoned only small performers, but not the authorities. At this conference, one guy turns to him, meeting with whom, he learns that this is the son of his former colleague, who flew out of his wits after prison and then committed suicide, the son wants to avenge him, so he turns for help to his father’s former colleague. And here the measured life of Bill goes beyond the limits established for himself. Due to the fact that Bill himself constantly feels remorse for what he did in the past, he hopes that he will be able to dissuade the guy from his plans, he begins to play big to save money and help him. Everything seems to be starting to work out, at least he thinks so. But he underestimated the stubbornness of the guy, he just deceives him, as a result of which he dies, and Bill, having decided to avenge the guy, again goes to prison, where he essentially sends himself. I think that not everyone will like the film, but I watched without effort, I do not scare off such a leisurely narrative, although, of course, topics of this kind have been raised more than once in the cinema, but they nevertheless do not become less relevant.
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