| Jokers--and Murders--Aplenty |
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| written by talltale |
October 23, 2005 - 8:38 AM PDT |
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4 out of 4 members found this review helpful
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Dario Argento embraces the internet (a little late, perhaps) with THE CARD PLAYER, and for while it looks as if he might have produced one of his better efforts. This police procedural, featuring not very bright or interesting cops, concerns a thrill-seeker who must finally resort to engaging the crime squad in an interactive poker game in which, if they lose, he'll kill the victim (helpless females all: no surprise, given Argento's past oeuvre).
As usual in the work of this writer/director, logic, plot and characterization all take a back seat to the killings (relatively restrained by the standards of this Italian slasher-meister), and you may stick around just to discover who the killer is (you'll easily figure out the profession before you learn the identity). Argento grows less florid as he ages--but also less interesting. It would be wonderful to see him catapult back into prominence with some good, old-fashioned, trashy fun like "Trauma." Given his track record over the past decade or so, this does not seem likely. |
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