The Card Counter: An Attempt At Redemption (Only In Theaters!)

I saw this film on the recommendation of my close friend and partner, Bruce, whose opinion I highly respect.  Bruce thought the movie might even wind up becoming a classic!  (I've been trying to get Bruce to write some blog reviews, but, so far, he doesn't want to make the commitment.)  I liked the movie, but not nearly as much as he did. The film is written and directed by Paul Shrader ("Taxi Driver" and "American Gigolo").  William Tell (Oscar Isaac) earns his living by playing poker and blackjack at casinos.  He's a terrific player because he can count cards – he taught himself how to do this while he was in federal prison.  William served many years there for torturing prisoners of war while he was an Army officer at Abu Ghraib.  Merely a foot-soldier in the debacle, his superiors weren't punished and many of them went on to become rich, i.e. running their own security companies.  William suffers from intense guilt, which even his long prison sentence failed to expiate.  Except for his guilt, William seems to be emotionally detached and non-involved, living much like a zombie. At a convention, William is recognized by Cirk (Tye Sheridan), the son of one of the other Army torturers at Abu Ghraib.  Cirk's father was a basket-case after he was discharged, and he eventually killed himself.  Cirk wants to kidnap the now-rich-and-famous commanding officer at Abu Ghraib, Col. John Gordo (Willem Dafoe), and then torture him.  William doesn't think this is a good idea and wants to help Cirk move on with his life. La Linda (Tiffany Haddish) works for a syndicate that stakes the best poker players.  She offers to stake William so he can make much more money.  William sees this as an opportunity to help Cirk pay off his college loans and other debts so that he can move on with his life, so he invites Cirk to join him on the road for the professional poker tour, hoping to mentor Cirk.  Perhaps, if he can help Cirk, then he might find redemption for himself, too. Shrader should be commended for making a film about one of the most shameful foreign policies of the U.S.A.  Isaac does a terrific job with a difficult role and the movie has some very interesting scenes.  It was, however, quite slow.  It's a solid rental but not a classic, at least as far as I'm concerned.  I give it a 7.0, but who's "counting?"