The Card Player (2003) – Film Review

Director: Dario Argento
Cast: Stefania Rocca, Liam Cunningham, Silvio Muccino
Certificate: 15

By Sarah Morgan

Mention the name Dario Argento to a cult cinema fan, and chances are they will come over all wistful and start extolling the virtues of his most popular and influential films, such as Suspiria or Deep Red.

Well, that’s certainly what I would do anyway…

I’m a huge fan of the writer-director’s early work, particular his ‘Animal Trilogy’ – The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, The Cat O’Nine Tails and Four Flies On Grey Velvet – from the early 1970s. They were also his first three movies as director – what a way to announce yourself on an unsuspecting world.

“First victim”

I haven’t always been as enamoured with his later output, but I’m always keen to watch the entries in his CV I haven’t previously seen in the hope of finding a gem. That was the case when the opportunity to review The Card Player, which was originally released in 2003, came along.

Italian police detective Anna Mari joins forces with her British counterpart John Brennan to investigate the murder of an Englishwoman in Rome. She is the first victim of The Card Player, a serial killer who promises to release his victims, providing a police representative can beat him in a game of on-line poker.

To really seal his reputation as an evil presence, the murderer also amputates something from his victims if his opponent loses a hand – and reveals what he’s doing via horrifying webcam footage.

Anna and John are misfits within their respective forces, but find solace in each other’s company as they track the villain. However, their quarry always seems to be one step ahead of the authorities…

“Packed with special features”

Stefania Rocca and Liam Cunningham make a compelling central pair, but the plot itself is rather hackneyed – it’s nothing more than your standard police procedural, but with a few extra stylistic flourishes. A critic who reviewed the film on its release described it as like an episode of CSI: Roma, and that pretty much nails it.

Only die-hard Argento completists will be keen to see it, although they may be left hankering to rewatch the stunning movies he made during the first decade of his directorial career.

Thankfully, the disc is packed with special features that are far more interesting than The Card Player itself. Among the highlights are interviews with the film-maker and the two main stars; a booklet written by Argento expert Alan Jones is also included.

Sarah Morgan( Writer )

Sarah Morgan studied film journalism at post-graduate level with the BFI and has been writing about TV and film for PA Media’s newspaper, magazine and new media customers since 1996. She’s also written for a wide range of other publications, both online and in print, including the book Offbeat and Intermission magazine, and is a regular contributor to the Talking Pictures TV podcast. When she isn’t watching movies, she’s collecting and reading vintage crime and horror paperback books or, for her sins, watching her beloved Sheffield Wednesday.

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