With its troubled loner protagonist prowling a sleazy nocturnal underworld, this grimy tale of an ex-con turned professional gambler is archetypal Paul Schrader material. And in Oscar Isaac’s enigmatic blackjack player “William Tell”, with his wary hooded eyes and closed book countenance, the film has a broodingly commanding central performance. It’s a pity, then, that much of its promise is squandered by sloppiness, both in the writing and elsewhere.
Isaac’s character – he calls himself “Bill”, but the anonymous name, like everything else about him, is designed not to leave a trace – is a man of habit. Constantly on the move, he operates at the low-stakes end of the gambling circuit. But despite his under the radar approach, two people notice him. La Linda (Tiffany Haddish, miscast and ill at ease in the role) sees his potential and attempts to recruit him to her stable of gamblers. And Cirk (Tye Sheridan), a rootless kid with a half-formed plan, hopes to persuade him to seek revenge on a mutual enemy. Instead, Bill invites Cirk to join him on the casino circuit.
That the film leaves us with questions is not, in itself, a bad thing. But scenes that go nowhere – an abortive visit to a character in prison, for example – together with devices that are clearly included for their visual impact rather than the credibility of Bill’s character ultimately undermine the integrity of the storytelling.
