https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCe48UASjN4

Despite having Willem Dafoe in it, looked to me like the next "straight to video".

What is all the talk about counting cards and then most of the scenes are playing poker. There is an Ace and a King in my hand and a 2,3,4 on the board, what's the count? lol

I will pick it up for free at the library when it comes out on DVD.

There is nobody around who is a harsher critic of pop entertainment projects than me. I hardly even bother following along w/ anything anymore, as I'm busy labbing up my own stuff

W/ that said, that is a legitimately cool trailer w/ a solid cast, & w/ Scorcese's name on it, so I think it could be pretty entertaining, & I'm looking forward to checking it out

That looks genuinely awful and I'm confident I'll enjoy it all the same lol

Thought the same thing, although it kind of looks like his is just a side character.

Funny, I had the opposite thought: it looks genuinely cool and I have a feeling it will piss me off when I actually see it.

The most important name on the project in terms of piquing my anticipation is Paul Schrader, who penned Raging Bull, Taxi Driver and The Mosquito Coast. (And yet, to shed some light on the merits of the Oscars, he never got a nomination for his screenwriting until First Reformed a few years ago. I would have bet he received awards love for Taxi Driver all the way back when. Learn something new every day, I suppose.)

Scorsese has his name on this, officially as EP, although I can't get a good read as to how much involvement he had. The story in the trades said Scorsese was part of a small panel of people who saw a rough cut and provided some input to get the project across the finish line. That's not nothing, either: Star Wars famously underwent some significant revisions after a private screening, changes that arguably transformed the project from a likely dumpster fire to a pioneering classic. Schrader might boast a fine filmography as a writer, but his list of directorial credits is less impressive. Getting input from Scorsese might be as valuable to this as the reboarding that Coppola, Spielberg and DePalma was for George Lucas some 44 years ago.

The comparison to Rounders is inevitable, since when many people say "the next Rounders," they just mean "the next good poker-themed movie*." The DP for The Card Counter is Alexander Dynan, who Schrader previously hired for Dog Eat Dog. Dynan shot the fourth season of Showtime's Billions, for which the Rounders writing duo of Levien and Koppleman serve as show-runners.

Finally, one fun fact: the poker consultant for this movie? None other than PokerStars announcer, longtime podcaster and the original king of hairy Italian comedy, Joe Stapleton.




*Not for nothing, but when I use that phrase, I refer to the next movie that might encourage people to get into poker. This isn't it. But that's not what the OP meant, so I refuse to nitpick the thread title.

Rounders 2: This Time, It's Even Rounder

Wilbury Twist yours is a truly wonderful informative and erudite post.

Thank you.

Poker has nothing to do with counting cards. If you are accomplished poker player you wouldn't waste your time with BJ. It's a lot easier making money when the casino is thrilled having your business. Card counting even with advance methods like shuffle tracking is having to constantly look over your shoulder waiting for the heat. No one ever evicts a poker player for winning too much money.

As others have said, this is a very confusing trailer. Is he a blackjack player that plays poker or a poker player that's playing blackjack? Either way, it looks like too much of both. Beyond that, the cliche gambling philosophies and seemingly convoluted plot aren't making me too optimistic. Of course, I'll still give it a shot.

What are the odds that someone says, "I'll see you and I'll raise you," at some point in the movie?

On the other hand, card counting blackjack scales perfectly. If you can beat the $5 table, you can beat the $5000 table, given sufficient bankroll. Your opponent uses a simple strategy, that is easy to beat, and never changes. They also have a virtually unlimited bankroll, and are accustomed to taking big losses.

This looks terrible to me.

I look forward to the poker scenes but I think the love story component will take precedence and that worries me. I’m going to pass but I’ll watch the poker scenes once they’re uploaded to YouTube.

By the summary, I'm assuming a blackjack player who then sets their site on the WSOP lol:

The film, written and directed by Schrader, follows William Tell (Isaac), a gambler and former serviceman who sets out to reform a young man seeking revenge on a mutual enemy from their past. Tell just wants to play cards. His spartan existence on the casino trail is shattered when he is approached by Cirk, a vulnerable and angry young man seeking help to execute his plan for revenge on a military colonel. Tell sees a chance at redemption through his relationship with Cirk. Gaining backing from mysterious gambling financier La Linda, Tell takes Cirk with him on the road, going from casino to casino until the unlikely trio set their sights on winning the World Series of poker in Las Vegas. But keeping Cirk on the straight-and-narrow proves impossible, dragging Tell back into the darkness of his past.

Very cool insights, appreciate it

I'm underwhelmed.

I see Joe Stapleton has tweeted that he was the poker consultant on the movie. I'm mildly encouraged.

If you thought Rounders was round, think again!

Despite Stapes involvement, I’d lay odds a typical Hollywood string raise makes the final cut.

Hoping for a scene where a player has to fold to all-in because he doesn't have enough money/chips in front of him to call.

Rounders 2: Well Rounded works a lot better, trust me I already wrote the script a few years ago.

Also lol at the protagonist in a serious poker film being named William Tell...
that's like an ice cream man named cone!

Looks horrible, and let's not pretend that Rounders was actually a good movie

How is it not Euro Rounders?

Haddish appears underwhelming.

I couldn't even get through the trailer.