The Card Counter appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.66:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Overall, this was a positive image.
On a smidgen of softness ever cropped up here, mainly in some wider shots. Otherwise, the movie showed nice clarity and delineation.
Jagged edges and moiré effects failed to appear, and edge haloes remained absent. Print flaws also stayed away from this clean image.
In terms of palette, Counter went with an emphasis on light teal and amber. Overall, the hues were fine for their visual choices.
Blacks showed good depth, while low-light shots boasted nice clarity. This was a solid “B+“ presentation.
In terms of the movie’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack, it gave us competent sonics most of the time as well as a little pep on occasion. A drama like this didn’t need to boast a rock-em, sock-em mix, so the audio seemed acceptable.
Usually, the soundfield didn’t have a lot to do, so it concentrated on good stereo music and general ambience. Every once in a while, though, the mix came to life – in a moderate manner, at least, and mainly at casinos, though the flashbacks to Tell’s military experience brought out the music in a more aggressive manner.
Audio quality was fine. Speech seemed natural and concise, without edginess or other concerns. Music appeared full, with reasonable definition.
Effects remained clear and accurate, with some pretty solid low-end response. This became an acceptable track for a character drama.
A featurette called A High Stakes World spans five minutes, 13 seconds and offers comments from writer/director Paul Schrader, poker consultant Joe Stapleton, and actors Oscar Isaac and Tiffany Haddish.
“World” looks at story/characters, cast and performances, and staging the poker scenes. This becomes a fairly superficial reel.
As its core, The Card Counter provides a story that shows promise. Unfortunately, the end result seems scattered and unfocused, so it fails to live up to expectations. The Blu-ray