The Card Counter

The Card Counter is a 2021 American drama film written and directed by Paul Schrader. It stars Oscar Isaac, Tiffany Haddish, Tye Sheridan, and Willem Dafoe. Martin Scorsese is an executive producer. It had its world premiere at the 78th Venice International Film Festival on September 2, 2021. It was released on September 10, 2021, by Focus Features. Plot 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 from fame or from 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 exclusively stays in motels, where he removes any decor and covers 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 gamblers who are backed by investors for a portion of their winnings. She offers to stake Tell 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 Cirk and agrees to meet.