| I watched this film
for two reasons... It dealt with poker and it starred Stefania Rocca.
As a professional poker player, any time I hear that subject breached
in a film I tend to have my interest peaked. As for Stefania
Rocca... I just have a big crush on her. Unfortunately, this is a
bumbling piece of garbage. Nothing in this film remotely
approaches plausibility. It is one of the most outrageously
laugh-out-loud films of the year... which is typically not a
compliment for a murder mystery thriller.
The plot is basically a police procedural about the hunt for a
serial killer named 'The Card Player'. The killer toys with the
police by streaming live video of his victims on the internet while
inviting the cops to play a game of video poker with him as a means of
determining the victim's fate.
It sounded intriguing when I first read about the film.
However, the script is abysmal. The acting is hamstrung by the
atrocious dialogue. And the set-up, in terms of the poker game,
is morbidly unrealistic. I barely made it through the entire
running length because I felt stupid watching the film in the first
place.
"The Card Player" is a worthless crime thriller. It ranks as
one of the worst films of the year and should be avoided at all costs. |
