The story appears simple on the surface, but is revealed, especially after multiple viewings, as more multi-layered and textured than Cassavetes at his best. Ostensibly it concerns a 14-year old Catholic girl, Wynne (Agutter) growing up in this post-modern wasteland, who develops a crush on her much older adoptive brother (Marshall)- a crush which perversely deepens and grows into infatuation once she starts to believe he is the local sex killer. This is in itself an idea that makes you sit up and jolt, but as the narrative develops, it continues not necessarily along a linear path but in several confusing and fascinating directions: the family's history, (detailed effectively in chilling flashback during an improvised seance) is a chequered one, and has suffered at least one major relocation and upheaval in the last ten years. At the crux, however, it's the depiction of socialal changes that make I Start Counting so fascinating and elevate its language far beyond the confines of the standard horror film. The major subtext- that teenage girls were maturing more quickly than before, and developing full sexual and romantic appetites (even if in thought rather than deed) but were not possessed of enough discretion to make the right choices- was a step forward for a genre in which its young females had previously been portrayed as bimbo victims (Cover Girl Killer and The Night Caller spring to mind), but not one that all viewers would necessarily agree with. But most striking of all, and possibly the most enduring image which the viewer will take away with them, is of the masterful symbolism with which director Greene invests every shot. Every inch of the Kinch family's world- their house, their walls, their TV, Agutters underwear, bedroom furniture and toys, Sutcliffe's clothes, Marshalls van, the local Catholic church, their town centre, their record shop) - is painted a bright, scintillating white- a white which, by inference, is slowly becoming smudged and corrupted with the dirt of the outside world. White also symbolises, of course, purity and innocence (two qualities Catholic schoolgirls are supposed to hold dear), and it is into this world of innocence that the ever-present red bus (a symbol of violation and penetration), conducted by the lecherous yet similarly juvenile Simon Ward, makes regular journeys. The allegory is further expanded in one scene where Agutter believes she sees the Christ figure in church weeping blood: by the time we acknowledge it, its gone, but the seed has already been planted. Rarely in a genre production has the use of colour and background been so important or effective in creating a uniformity of mood. I Start Counting is as near-perfect an end to a decade as one could hope for, and exactly the kind of film people should be making now- which is, of course, exactly why they never will. A genre essential. by D.R.
调和后静置，再倾斜。片中对''tilt''的简述是最长精神的：单词的泛用解释是''倾斜''，在德扑中是''生气/兴奋后乱出牌''，也是''由于人性必然有弱点，所以不可能不发生''的专业术语。非常好，领观众出游，''you can tilt.''
有点牵强，但我又还挺喜欢这个故事，一些设定和场景蛮有意思，这么新的画面质量把啥都拍清晰了也不一定是好事，怪怪的观感。奥斯卡真他娘帅。
除了回忆中扭曲的监狱还令人耳目一新外，其他部分实在是不行……开头的气势让我以为他有什么惊天大计划，没想到最后变成失足少年拯救片。
和PTA处女作《赌城纵横》一样，几乎没有展现炫酷的赌博技巧的场面，赌博只是背景板。和保罗施拉德一贯的作品风格，创伤过往的主角，自我毁灭与救赎。监狱虐囚部分的夸张鱼眼镜头有意思，但总体完成不如《第一归正会》。奥斯卡伊萨克梳个大背头还是颇有赌神那神韵的。
身体，灵魂，自我折磨（内疚、苦行、救赎...)，以及美国人的身份和对布列松的热爱：施拉德总在书写具有相似度的人物。美国先生几乎要立刻掌握了最高财富，在一个后911（居然在20周年的时候上映）、后伊拉克的时代，美国人将投入多少筹码到自己的国家？又或是伤害自己作为向国家的报复，酒店或许只是自我流放之地，获得救赎的概率微乎其微，去除了上一部的那些宗教因素，宗教之外的症结在哪？在最后，救赎只会以爱的形式出现，隔着监狱的两只手，在静态平面中身体在连续运动中暂停，这《创世纪》一般的姿势将某种自我意识神话化，试图集中所有唤起一些力量。在此之前的人物只是不会带来浸入感的空的容器，当然也是一种“布列松式的紧缩”—已经没人像这样拍电影了—如艾萨克工整清晰、纪律严明的手写文字，看上去没什么稀奇的也看似已经过时了。
只是单纯觉得既然叫The Card Counter那这个身份还有设计的赌博元素应该有更实际的意义才对。总觉得这部分跟救赎部分融合的并不很好。
以全片做铺垫为了引导别人看爽快血腥的复仇结局。。。结果就这。。。
又是个恩怨情仇的故事，终归是仇占了上风、主宰了生活，爱则一如既往的坚强——在电影里。
本质上我觉得是过去创伤与自我救赎外加提了一下美军逼供，披了个打牌的皮。主人公很挣扎拧巴，看的我也很挣扎，在还可以-一般-其实还可以-真的一般之间来回挣扎。
救赎一直是保罗施拉德的核心主题 独特的执着 老派的浪漫 能沉的住气 喜欢
绝对是异质的存在。宛如脖子梗住了的摄影机，单调的注视暗示着来自内面的束缚，深深地呼应了在赌场「Play under the radar」、清教徒式地行走的算牌人的心理张力。内禀的冲突处处都感觉得到。印象比较深的是有个游泳池，非常像监控会拍成的那个样子，还有两个路人在玩水（包括有些对话拍得完全是纪录片里的访谈嘛），而男主角们所勾连的体制酷刑、体制非人道将此一切悬置为意义浇薄的「American surfaces」，是两个男人选择放逐在野的原因。同是「LED」灯，赌场代换到公园，简单而准确地表达主人公的冰释，太给力。不过结尾不知怎么赌牌不拍了，这么重要的具有技术内核的东西排除在画框外……复仇有点像黑泽清。哈迪斯扮相非常好看！
打牌的剧情和关于美军酷刑的剧情可以说是毫无关系了。配乐蛮好听
男主毁灭式的复仇太牵强，小孩不过是认识没多久。讲扑克又不花笔墨在扑克上，两头不到位。
救赎一直是保罗施拉德的核心主题 独特的执着 老派的浪漫 能沉的住气 喜欢
整个事件就是环环相扣的系统性悲剧，看得令人无力。本来其实拍得很好，前半段的视听效果什么的都非常厉害，即trippy也让人好几次想起出租车司机。但是后劲无力，编入俗了，从某一个配乐很好的桥段开始慢慢走上了下坡路。男主角基本上独角戏吧，演得虽然看得出用力但是很优秀，男二不太行（又或许演太好？），完全没有什么存在感。想给四星但是扣一扣，因为女性角色都是工具人。
施拉德男主都用同一个日记本吗…片尾盯着两只手几分钟…这招太难受了
Boys help boys(不是。/《算牌人》不讲算牌，不讲赌博，甚至也不打算讲复仇。/回想起来看过的和听说过的保罗施拉德电影，导演确实拍的一直是同一个故事。/鱼眼回溯过往的方法为什么在每个评论都夸一遍，虽然很好但是——很稀奇？没懂为啥都在夸。/奥斯卡伊萨克帅到令人喷血。我承认我看他看得目不转睛。昨天刚夸了一遍哈维尔巴登。（这真是属于南美长相的一周。）/导演有一种自己的“反高潮”。尤其一个半小时结合拉进度条看内容的时候会有感觉。/结尾致敬《扒手》明确。/多嘴说一句，帅哥男主搭的不是幼龄傻白甜也不是符号化的尤物，同龄、风韵犹存但也像是有故事的样子。希望这种平权细节能多有。
四星半。與前一部《First Reformed》相似，關於一個男人的自我救贖。表現PTSD回憶的魚眼鏡頭很好；Oscar Isaac演技仍然細膩，演活這種孤獨、堅毅卻又脆弱的角色。
就像男主光着身子坐在桌前，却穿戴整齐躺在床上。赌博者和监狱虐囚两个主题穿插得满是违和感，让作为观者的我感到情绪被切割成很多块，无法拼装。
创伤，以及将理解和爱作为救赎。
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