R | 1h 49min | Drama, Thriller, Mystery | 10 September 2021 (USA) Love him or hate him (and there are few people on the fence), you’ve got to give filmmaker Paul Schrader credit for one thing: He’s consistent. He’s consistent in that he uses the same blueprint for most of his movies, something that some might deem as lazy and repetitive. When regulated to providing just the screenplay (“Taxi Driver,” “Raging Bull,” “Bringing Out the Dead”—all directed by Martin Scorsese), Schrader’s antihero-seeking-redemption motif is not so much easier to take but livelier. When unchecked and directing his own material (“Hardcore,” “Light Sleeper,” “Affliction,” “Forever Mine,” “First Reformed”), Schrader’s films are visually stylish but narratively inert and relentlessly grim. ‘The Card Counter’ Oscar Isaac stars as William Tell, an Iraq War veteran and convicted felon, who spent his years in the can learning how to count cards. A talented poker player, Tell (probably not his given last …
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