Retro Film Review: The Card Player (Il cartaio, 2004)

Any groundbreaking filmmaker who remains in business long enough risks seeing their work become mainstream. The same principle could be applied to Dario Argento, the Italian film director famous for his legendary 1970s "giallo" films. Despite Argento's best efforts, his later works do not appear significantly different from the genre films emerging from today's mainstream Hollywood. An example of this is Argento's 2004 thriller, The Card Player.

The protagonist of the film is Anna Mari (portrayed by Stefania Rocca), a female police detective from Rome whose latest case involves a particularly vicious serial killer. An unknown psychopath kidnaps women, places them in front of a webcam, and challenges the police to an online poker game for their lives. The initial challenge is disregarded by the police, resulting in the death of a young woman. As she was a British citizen, the British embassy dispatches its resident police official, John Brennan (played by Liam Cunningham), to aid in the investigation. Following another murder, attributed to the incompetence of the police in poker games, Anna decides to enlist Remo (played by Silvio Muccino), a teenager with exceptional poker skills. Remo successfully rescues Lucia (played by Fiora Argento), the police chief's daughter, from the maniac. However, Anna persists in her investigation and uncovers that the killer appears to possess intimate knowledge about her.

Apart from its Rome settings and the absence of Hollywood actors – with Liam Cunningham being the closest link to Hollywood, likely included to broaden the film's appeal to English-speaking audiences – The Card Player bears a striking resemblance to many "high concept" Hollywood thrillers centred around psychopathic killers with vast resources and vivid imaginations. The film contains minimal gore and nudity, with a predictable plot resolution. Any disappointment at the conclusion is more attributable to the unsuitable choice of accompanying music rather than a flawed script. The online poker sequences, intended as pivotal moments in the film, are executed in a manner that suggests Argento struggles to translate digital entertainment thrills into cinematic suspense. Nevertheless, the performances in the film are commendable, Rome's locations are effectively utilised, and there are several captivating scenes. While The Card Player can be recommended as decent entertainment, fans of Argento would likely favour his earlier works.

RATING: 5/10 (++)

(Note: Original version of the review is available here.)

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