i'm a big argento fan and no one seems to like this film. i want to see it. i know he's done some bad films and all his films have weak acting and dialogue but still.....
shareI liked it, but only in a 'so bad it's quite fun' way. I'd still recommend it though- if you're in the right mood you'll have a blast.
shareYES! I liked this film a lot! There are the standard problems (abnormally bad dubbing, horrible dialog; I ask you, which Argento films do not suffer from this???) but he remains true to the audience. Dario is (almost) never a cheat. He shows us everything. This is FAR FAR FAR better than PHANTOM OF THE OPERA but not better than SLEEPLESS. A fine Giallo, doesn't re-invent the wheel but it's better than any other great horror director's recent work (i.e. John Carpenter).
shareI have to agree. I saw this last night and was impressed. Like you say, it does suffer from the usual Argento dubbing, dialogue, and incredulous plot, but this is nothing that we haven't come to expect from even Argento's finest films. Perhaps all the negativity directed towards the film made it better for me as I went in to it not expecting to enjoy it and was subsequently pleasantly surprised.
The Card Player contains most of the elements that I love about his films, and I don't understand why everyone is concentrating on the negatives. It has some truly tense moments, it's very sinister, shocking in places, and the visuals are gorgeous (especially the architecture).
(SPOILER AHEAD)
The scene on the train track is both a bizarre plot twist and an extremely tense ten minutes. And, to my mind, only Argento can do this and get away with it.
As I always say to Argento detractors: a bad Argento film is still better than many other directors' best work. Well...except Phantom of the Opera...that was dreadful.
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I liked It.
shareI enjoyed it. That's not to say that it's a good film. It's far from Argento's best, and much of the entertainment value comes from the stunningly bad dialogue. Lines like "A game of poker? Totally absurd! How?", "Standard for a loser!" and "The Card Player always plays by the rules!" bring a smile to my face. By nature it's the sort of movie that plays to all of Argento's weaknesses and few of his strengths, but there are a few tense scenes and some laughably bad bits as well.
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I also liked it.It wasn't the greatest film in the world but I could see Hollywood remaking it.Of course with some changes, there is no way the male lead would die.He may get a flesh wound from the trap, but he'd be well enough to save the girl at the end and give a witty remark to the killer before he desposes of him.Not Argento's best film but it was much better then I thought it was going to be.
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I will certainly stick up for this film. I watched it because I thought it can't be as bad as most critics make out... and I was right! I thouroughly enjoyed the film. Granted it isn't Argento's best, but it is a highly entertaining film. The acting is O.K. but some are weaker. The film is full of tension, which is great in the fast moving plotline. It also brilliantly re-uses some of the oldest tricks in the trade, but to great effect! (I refer to the train track scene) I think the reason people thought the dialogue was weak because the translation wasn't too good. It may be better in Italian. All I can say is give the film the chance it deserves and decide for yourself if it is worth watching again. It's all a matter of taste. Don't listen to the critics!!
sharethere is no way the male lead would die.
thanks for the spoiler warning, and also, thanks for giving away the film.
i watched half of it last night and plan to finish tonight.
it wasnt bad so far. i liked the scene when she sees the dude's
face in the ashtray
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