The Card Counter (2021)
Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Oscar Isaac, Willem Dafoe, Tiffany Haddish, Tye Sheridan
William Tell is a gambler who taught himself how to count cards during an eight-year stint in military prison. Seeking to avoid attention - either fame or casino bouncers - Tell's gambling philosophy is to bet small and win modestly. Despite gambling nearly every day, he never stays in a casino hotel. He lives out of two small suitcases and stays in motels, where he removes any decor and covers all the furniture in plain sheets secured with twine.
At a casino, Tell encounters La Linda, an acquaintance from the gambling world. She runs a stable, a group of investors who back gamblers for a portion of their winnings. She offers to stake William but he refuses, unwilling to be burdened by the responsibility.
In Atlantic City, a security-industry convention is being held in the same building as the casino. Tell slips into a seminar held by retired Major John Gordo, but decides to leave almost immediately. On the way out, he is recognized and confronted by a young man, Cirk Baufort, who slips him his name and number. After a nightmare about torture in a prison camp, Tell calls the young man and agrees to meet. Cirk informs Tell he knows who he really is: PFC William Tillich, a soldier who was tried and convicted for his role in the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse. Cirk explains that his father, Roger Baufort, was also at Abu Ghraib; like Tell, he was dishonorably discharged and served time, but the experience led him to drug addiction and made him violently abusive. Cirk's mother left the family, and Roger eventually killed himself. Gordo was the superior of Tillich and the elder Baufort and trained them in enhanced interrogation techniques, but as he was involved as a "civilian consultant" avoided facing any charges or culpability. Cirk holds Gordo responsible for what happened to his family and is planning to capture, torture, and kill him for revenge and seeks Tell's help. Tell refuses but offers to take Cirk along as he gambles in an attempt to help the young man avoid a violent life.
At their next stop, Tell informs La Linda that he is interested in making an arrangement. He reveals to her his desire to go on the World Series of Poker tour in order to win enough money to help Cirk cover his debts and start a new life, after which Tell will retire. After early WSOP matches, Tell makes money but loses to Mr. USA, an obnoxious Ukrainian player who has taken on a jingoistic American persona. He bonds with Cirk and feels a growing attraction to La Linda, but avoids getting too close as he continues making money gambling.
At a qualifying round in Panama City, Cirk shares that he still plans to kill Gordo. Tell takes Cirk back to his motel, confronting the younger man with a harsh interrogator persona. He presents Cirk with $150,000 from his gambling winnings, enough for Cirk to pay off his and his mother's debts and return to college. He insists Cirk return to his mother in Oregon and forget about Gordo, threatening violence if he does not comply; Cirk leaves with the money. Tell, who has begun a relationship with La Linda, advances to the final table of the WSOP. While on a break he receives a message from Cirk, revealing that rather than returning home he went to Gordo's house to kill him. Tell is unsettled and, distracted during the resumed match, abruptly walks off the casino floor. A news report shows that Gordo had killed an armed home intruder - Cirk.
Tell drives through the night to get to Gordo's house, covering the furniture as he does in his motel rooms. Gordo returns home and Tell holds him at gunpoint, revealing who he is and why he is there. Rather than shooting him, Tell takes Gordo into another room for a "dramatic reenactment" of their time in Abu Gharib. Both men are heard screaming in agony, and eventually Tell emerges from the room severely wounded. He calls the police to report a homicide.
Tell is incarcerated in the same military prison as before, accepting the routine and ascetic setting as he feels it is what he deserves. La Linda arrives for a visit and the two reach out to each other, each placing a single finger on the glass separating them.
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- NR Rated:
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- 2021-09-02 Released:
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- Paul Schrader Director:
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