Like writer/director Paul Schrader's last work 'First Reformed', I went into 'The Card Counter' knowing next to nothing about it, and like the directors previous film that really worked for me, so I'm only going to give you some basics.
The movie stars Oscar Isaac as a former U.S. Army private who spent 8 1/2 years in a military prison for his role in the torture at Abu Ghraib in Iraq. During that time he taught himself how to count cards, and now makes a living traveling across country and applying this advantage in casinos. He has made it a creed to only play for small stakes, but this changes when he encounters a young man played by Tye Sheridan, who has a kind of connection to his past. The movie also features Williem Dafoe and Tiffany Haddish, the latter I was only vaguely familiar with but I thought she really worked in this.
If you are familiar with Paul Schrader's work you probably have some idea of where this movie is going, but it's extremely well played, subtle, and kept me guessing. I went out to see this film on very short notice, and it proved to be the most pleasant surprise I've had at the theater all year. ****
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