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Product Description
Play him and youll be drawing death!
Dario Argento (Suspiria) returns with this giallo for the digital age. In The Card Player online gaming comes with a hefty price. Your life!
A serial killer, at large in Rome, plays a deadly game with the citys police. For every woman he kidnaps, the investigating offers are given the chance to win them back by entering a game of online poker, though losing results in the ultimate price being paid. Will the police uncover the killers identity before he deals his next victim?
Featuring all the signature spectacle and gut-churning violence for which he is synonymous, The Card Player is another deliriously stylish thriller from director Argento.
Extras:
- Trailer
- Making of The Card Player
- The Card Player Promo
Review
One of Argento's most convincing and controlled chillers --DVD Verdict
Striking visual --Variety.com
Striking visual --Variety.com
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
"The card player" is definitely a weaker Dario Argento film but it's still watchable and has some moments. The story of a policewoman and British interpol agent who team up to find a sadistic killer who's taunting the police on the web. He abducts women and challengers the police to a game of poker and if they lose the woman is tortured and killed in front of them on the web cam.
Of course you would describe this a giallo but it's no where near as good as any the directors others. It's a far less stylish affair than you would expect from Argento with none of his excellent stalking sequnces we all know and love. Having said that some of the poker games do create some tension and the autopsy scenes are the most gruesome moments in the film. However, sadly in general it's a very bloodless effort and the photography and direction is no where near as good as you would imagine. The ending it must be said was absolutely awful and a total let down. There were some ok moments from time to time but in all so disappointing after the very good "Sleepless".
Of course you would describe this a giallo but it's no where near as good as any the directors others. It's a far less stylish affair than you would expect from Argento with none of his excellent stalking sequnces we all know and love. Having said that some of the poker games do create some tension and the autopsy scenes are the most gruesome moments in the film. However, sadly in general it's a very bloodless effort and the photography and direction is no where near as good as you would imagine. The ending it must be said was absolutely awful and a total let down. There were some ok moments from time to time but in all so disappointing after the very good "Sleepless".
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
There are two versions of this film on the disc: poorly dubbed in dreadful voices, or in the original Italian which doesn't have subtitles (despite claiming the contrary)! Pretty much useless for the person I ordered it for, who is hard of hearing.
As for the film, it's pretty alright. The poker program used in the film is laughably poor, to the point where it ruptures the credibility of the plot. It looks worse than a Windows 95 poker game.
It's a shame that the technical points detracted from the film, but the dubbed voices were hilarious.
As for the film, it's pretty alright. The poker program used in the film is laughably poor, to the point where it ruptures the credibility of the plot. It looks worse than a Windows 95 poker game.
It's a shame that the technical points detracted from the film, but the dubbed voices were hilarious.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Without revealing the killer's identity, Dario Argento's latest misfire actually climaxes with the villain chaining the heroine to a railway track where he forces her to play internet poker. Yep, as thrillers go this is a premise that needs to be seriously rethought.
The Card Player is another two steps back for Argento after showing signs of improvement in the flawed, very silly but nonetheless very stylish Sleepless. On one level it should be interesting that he has abandoned the gore and the stylistics for a much more subdued style, but in this case for subdued read disinterested hackwork. If you didn't know this was an Argento film, you could easily mistake it for any one of the hundreds of schlock killer thrillers you'll find on some basic cable channels at two in the morning. The plot is serviceable only as a framework for setpiece film-making - Stefania Rocca has to stop a serial killer from torturing and murdering women by playing for their lives in a series of internet poker games - but the trouble is that the guignol is nowhere near grand here, let alone grand enough, and Argento films it all with an astonishing lack of panache. The potentially spectacular death of one major character is handled with pedantic disinterest while the other killings are almost thrown away. Plot developments are all exactly as expected and all too easily predicted.
This wouldn't matter so much if the script were better constructed or the characters more interesting, but it's ticking boxes all the way. Heroine with a problem - cop whose father committed suicide over his poker debts: check. Hero with a problem - drunken Oirish cop exiled to the British embassy in Rome for killing a minor in a siege: check. Bit player who is so obviously suspicious it can't be him: check. Likable character whose death is supposed to be a big surprise but isn't: check. Etc, etc, etc. It's a tame, unimaginatively directed, not terribly well acted movie that plods along for two thirds of its running time before briefly threatening to pick up a head of steam but not quite managing it. Looking at it, you can't help feeling that the only reason Dario made it was because he was running behind on the alimony checks. It's watchable, but nothing more.
Not much in the way of extras, though it is advisabe to watch the featurettes AFTER seeing the feature as they reveal the killer's identity!
Also it's worth noting that although the new PAL release from Arrow includes both the English and Italian soundtracks, the Italian version on the initial run of this title has no English subtitles - if you get one of these, you can contact Arrow direct for a replacement with subtitles, but a lot of the unsubtitled copies are still out there.
The Card Player is another two steps back for Argento after showing signs of improvement in the flawed, very silly but nonetheless very stylish Sleepless. On one level it should be interesting that he has abandoned the gore and the stylistics for a much more subdued style, but in this case for subdued read disinterested hackwork. If you didn't know this was an Argento film, you could easily mistake it for any one of the hundreds of schlock killer thrillers you'll find on some basic cable channels at two in the morning. The plot is serviceable only as a framework for setpiece film-making - Stefania Rocca has to stop a serial killer from torturing and murdering women by playing for their lives in a series of internet poker games - but the trouble is that the guignol is nowhere near grand here, let alone grand enough, and Argento films it all with an astonishing lack of panache. The potentially spectacular death of one major character is handled with pedantic disinterest while the other killings are almost thrown away. Plot developments are all exactly as expected and all too easily predicted.
This wouldn't matter so much if the script were better constructed or the characters more interesting, but it's ticking boxes all the way. Heroine with a problem - cop whose father committed suicide over his poker debts: check. Hero with a problem - drunken Oirish cop exiled to the British embassy in Rome for killing a minor in a siege: check. Bit player who is so obviously suspicious it can't be him: check. Likable character whose death is supposed to be a big surprise but isn't: check. Etc, etc, etc. It's a tame, unimaginatively directed, not terribly well acted movie that plods along for two thirds of its running time before briefly threatening to pick up a head of steam but not quite managing it. Looking at it, you can't help feeling that the only reason Dario made it was because he was running behind on the alimony checks. It's watchable, but nothing more.
Not much in the way of extras, though it is advisabe to watch the featurettes AFTER seeing the feature as they reveal the killer's identity!
Also it's worth noting that although the new PAL release from Arrow includes both the English and Italian soundtracks, the Italian version on the initial run of this title has no English subtitles - if you get one of these, you can contact Arrow direct for a replacement with subtitles, but a lot of the unsubtitled copies are still out there.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Another dud from Dario
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Published 3 days ago by Burrobaggy
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The Card Player has a terrible ending. However apart from this big flaw, this is a very
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entertaining film. Read more
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Published 1 month ago by S. F. husseiny
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As a fan of giallos, I thought I would check out Argento's 2004 serial killer thriller The Card Player set in Rome, despite reading a good share of negative reviews. Read more
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