It’s a new month, which means new content will be appearing on all streaming services for the foreseeable future, and HBO Max has recently added a film that should be on the radar of many Marvel and Star Wars fans, mostly because it stars none other than Oscar Isaac as Moon Knight/Poe Dameron. The Card Counter, a drama-thriller written and directed by Academy Award contender Paul Schrader (Taxi Driver, First Reformed) and starring Isaac, Tiffany Haddish (Girls Trip), Tye Sheridan (Ready Player One),
For those who aren’t familiar with the film, the official synopsis is as follows: “Redemption is the long game in Paul Schrader’s The Card Counter. Told with Schrader’s trademark cinematic intensity, the revenge thriller tells the story of an ex-military interrogator turned gambler haunted by the ghosts of his past decisions” Critically acclaimed upon its release, The Card Counter holds an 87% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a “Certified Fresh” distinction from the review aggregator. The critical consensus reads: “Led by Oscar Isaac’s gripping performance, The Card Counter adds another weighty chapter to Paul Schrader’s long inquiry into man’s moral responsibility.”
I’d say that what resonated most with me was trauma and what trauma does and how it’s processed and what people do with it in the aftermath,” Isaac previously shared with ComicBook.com about his interest in the role. “He serves his time for this horrible thing that was told to do and did willingly, and when he gets out, he feels like it wasn’t enough. He’s still traumatized by what he’s done so he decides to live this life that’s quite empty and repetitive, in this purgatory.”
He added, on his mixed project with Schrader, “The thing is, it’s amazing writing, right? So you wanna do the writing, you’re not looking to change it a bunch. Obviously, there would be some moments where there would be a question or change this little bit but, really, he writes in a way, like, subliminally, as well. So it leaves a lot of space for thought and impression and, it’s like Harold Pinter. There’s all these pauses and weird things so it’s not so direct, it’s not so linear, so that’s really exciting as an actor. You get in there and start doing these words and realize there’s all this subtext that’s just hinted at by these incredible constructions of words that he puts together.”