CARD PLAYER-DARIO ARGENTOS CARD PLAYER (DVD/WS/5.1) DVD

Il Cartaio
A serial killer with a knack for video poker and a taste for blood taunts a determined policewoman in director Dario Argento's attempt to bring the traditional giallo into the digital age. Detective Anna Mari (Stefania Rocca) is sitting at her desk when a message from an anonymous online gambler bearing the moniker "The Card Player" invites her to join a game of video poker. When the game screen loads, Mari is horrified to learn that the stakes of the game are higher than she ever could have imagined, as an unidentified female in an over-pixilated web-cam window screams for her life. Though the chief initially refuses to take part in the killer's horrifying game, the death of the innocent victim leads Mari to seek more unconventional means of tracking the murderous gambler. As the killer continues to taunt police, British policeman John Brennan (Liam Cunningham) is brought in to help solve the case. When the killer ups the ante by kidnapping the police chief's daughter, it's only a matter of time before the killer and Mari herself are locked in a pulse-pounding, life-or-death game in which anyone could hold the winning hand. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Cast Liam Cunningham as John Brennan Adalberto Maria Merli as

Crew Patrizia Chericoni - Costume Designer Florence Emir - Costume Designer Dario Argento - Director Walter Fasano - Editor Claudio Simonetti - Composer (Music Score) Antonello Geleng - Production Designer Marina Pinzuti Ansolini - Production Designer Benoit Debie - Cinematographer Dario Argento - Producer Claudio Argento - Producer Maurizio Di Coste - Sound/Sound Designer Sergio Stivaletti - Sound/Sound Designer Tomasso Quatrini - Sound/Sound Designer Franco Ferrini - Screenwriter Dario Argento - Screenwriter

Il Cartaio
Playing something like a "greatest hits" compilation of the films that put the legendary Italian director on the map, Dario Argento's The Card Player makes a noble attempt to bring the giallo into the digital age by presenting a sadistic killer who forces police to play digital poker for the lives of his victims. By this point, it seems that every film since 1993's Trauma (with the painfully notable exception of 1998's The Phantom of the Opera) has been touted as a "return to form" for Argento, and though such later efforts as The Stendhal Syndrome and, to some extant, Sleepless retained the flamboyant stylistic flourishes and brutal flashes of violence that defined the director's early work, The Card Player comes off as neutered, made-for-television Argento with flat visuals and all-too-familiar set pieces. Taken on its own, The Card Player offers a fair amount of suspense and at least one memorable set piece, but for those even remotely familiar with Argento's canon, there's the feeling that it's all been done before -- and handled with much more style and confidence. Despite his tendency to rely on well-worn gimmicks and plot devices that are obvious to even the most casual giallo fan, Argento should be given credit for effectively utilizing the Internet as a means to evoke fear -- a rare feat that few films have managed. In a time when the Internet is overrun with gruesome, true-life images of beheadings and torture, the image of a squirming victim about to meet her demise on over-pixilated web-cam video at the hands of an unseen killer may strike a little too close to home -- and this is where The Card Player succeeds in truly horrifying the audience. If and when Argento finally decides to let go of the past and truly forge on into new territory, audiences will certainly be in for a wild and terrifying ride. Until then we'll simply have to make due with the prospect of a director intent of reliving his former glory by cannibalizing his celluloid catalog in a manner that -- while not altogether unsatisfying -- certainly could use a breath of originality and fresh air. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
 

(no awards)

General Specifications: Language Options: English Subtitle Options: Sound Processing: DD5.1: Dolby Digital w/ sub-woofer channel DDS2.0: Dolby Digital w/ 4 channels of sound from a 2-channel stereo mix. Additional Features: Widescreen presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs Playing With Death (interview with director Dario Argento) Maestro of Fear (interview with composer Claudio Simonetti) Audio commentary with author Alan Jones Theatrical trailer Behind-the-scenes footage 8 page booklet Electric press kit Dario Argento bio DVD Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1: Theatre Wide-Screen MPAA Rating: NR DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 104 min   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- 1. Happy Birthday (Main Titles) [4:12] 2. The Game Begins [4:58] 3. First Victim [6:23] 4. Rematch [7:28] 4. Forensic Evidence [5:08] 6. Hunter and Prey [6:59] 7. Card Shark [5:58] 8. Third Game [6:02] 9. Intruder [9:11] 10. Still Alive [3:46] 11. High Stakes [7:35] 12. Deadly Bait [4:52] 13. Race Against Time [6:35] 14. Missing [8:01] 15. Death Match [3:16] 16. End Credits [10:26]