‘The Card Counter’ trailer sees Oscar Isaac go all in

The Card Counter Oscar Isaac
(Image credit: Focus Features)

Deal me in for The Card Counter after watching its first trailer, as Oscar Isaac leads this Paul Schrader film about revenge and poker. The Card Counter is going to playing the upcoming Venice Film Festival before it hits theaters exclusively on Sept. 10.

The Card Counter stars Isaac as William Tell, an ex-serviceman and felon who has become a poker player after learning how to count cards while in jail. However, his past comes crashing into his new life when a young man comes to him and proposes they take revenge against their former superior in the military.

Schrader is the writer of Hollywood classics Taxi Driver and Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese, who directed both, is on board as a producer for The Card Counter), as well as writing and directing the critically acclaimed First Reformed back in 2017, which earned Schrader an Oscar nomination for screenplay and a big push for actor Ethan Hawke, which ultimately fell short of awards. Can The Card Counter have similar success?

The trailer for The Card Counter is pretty promising. Isaac looks to be on his game with his performance, and to have Schrader put his viewpoint into the world of professional poker will lead to undoubtedly unique elements. Plus, a supporting cast that includes Willem Dafoe, Tiffany Haddish and Tye Sheridan can only add to it all.

Take a peek at the trailer below.

Oscar Isaac will be a constant presence for movie fans this fall. In addition to The Card Counter on Sept. 10, the actor will also star in the highly anticipated Dune, which will play in theaters and on HBO Max starting Oct. 22.

Unlike Dune, The Card Counter will not appear on streaming at the same time that it has its run in theaters. The Card Counter is a Focus Features film. While that makes it part of NBCUniversal, it is not heading immediately to Peacock, or any other streaming service, until at least after its run in theaters, however long that turns out to be.

Michael Balderston

Michael Balderston is a DC-based entertainment and assistant managing editor for What to Watch, who has previously written about the TV and movies with TV Technology, Awards Circuit and regional publications. Spending most of his time watching new movies at the theater or classics on TCM, some of Michael's favorite movies include Casablanca, Moulin Rouge!, Silence of the Lambs, Children of Men, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Star Wars. On the TV side he enjoys Only Murders in the Building, Yellowstone, The Boys, Game of Thrones and is always up for a Seinfeld rerun. Follow on Letterboxd.