IMDb > Il cartaio (2004)
Il cartaio
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Il cartaio (2004) More at IMDbPro »

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Il cartaio (2004) -- A Rome policewoman teams up with a British Interpool agent to find a crafty serial killer whom plays a taunting game of cat-and-mouse with the police by abducting and killing young women and showing it over an Internet web cam.

Overview

User Rating:
5.0/10   2,064 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 13% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Dario Argento (screenplay)
Dario Argento (story)
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Card Player on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
2 January 2004 (Italy) more
Tagline:
A serial killer with a vice for Video Poker.
Plot:
A Rome policewoman teams up with a British Interpool agent to find a crafty serial killer whom plays a taunting game of cat-and-mouse with the police by abducting and killing young women and showing it over an Internet web cam. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
(5 articles)
In Defense Of Giallo...
 (From Icons of Fright. 17 September 2009, 8:37 PM, PDT)

Giallo (Film Review)
 (From Fangoria. 13 July 2009, 12:53 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
A different Argento, to be sure, but that's not bad Argento! more (58 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Stefania Rocca ... Anna Mari
Liam Cunningham ... John Brennan

Silvio Muccino ... Remo
Adalberto Maria Merli ... Police Commissioner
Claudio Santamaria ... Carlo Sturni
Fiore Argento ... Lucia Marini

Cosimo Fusco ... Berardelli
Mia Benedetta ... Francesca
Giovanni Visentin ... C.I.D. Chief
Claudio Mazzenga ... Mario
Conchita Puglisi ... Marta
Micaela Pignatelli ... Professor Terzi
Luis Molteni ... Pathologist
Carlo Giuseppe Gabardini ... Anti-Hacker #1
Alessandro Mistichelli ... Anti-Hacker #2
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
The Card Player (International: English title) (USA)
The Card Dealer
The Cardplayer (Australia)
Untitled Dario Argento (Italy) (working title)
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Runtime:
103 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Filming Locations:

Fun Stuff

Movie Connections:
Referenced in Ti piace Hitchcock? (2005) (TV) more

FAQ

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9 out of 12 people found the following comment useful.
A different Argento, to be sure, but that's not bad Argento!, 2 April 2004
6/10
Author: jangu from Stockholm, Sweden

I have read the reviews complaining about that Dario has abandoned his style and all the gore to produce a tame TV-thriller. Far from the truth, according to me! I really think that this is the best he has done since "Opera". Granted, his stylish touch might seem to be muted compared to the baroque thriller of the 70s and 80s, but this cold and bleak atmosphere that he conjures up this time along with very brightly lit camera-work for most of the scenes, is something I enjoyed throughout! Sure, the gore is almost totally absent (apart from one scene), but as a whole this picture is much more efficiently done. The pace is fluent and unlike most of his other movies, there is actually no point where the characters just stand around and talk (and sometimes his players have been involved in some truly atrocious conversation) to fill out the time.

*MINOR SPOILER* And in "Il cartaio" the three main actors are actually very good! They are people you can care about and when they are in danger or die, you feel sorry for them. *END OF SPOILER* Like I mentioned before, I enjoyed the bleak look of the movie...as always classy camera-work in every frame of an Argento picture! And Claudio Simonetti's score is his best in years even though you might be just a little bit tired of it by the time the movie reaches it's conclusion. And talking about the finale, I found it both interesting, but at the same time also maybe a little bit of a letdown. However, the endings have been a bit weak lately in Dario's films. Not since "Tenebrae" has there been a really powerful conclusion. And two minor complaints finally...it was too easy to guess who the killer was. This has been mentioned before and I think it is true. The killer's identity could have been better camouflaged without a "certain scene" (you will know which one). And the card scenes went on too long on two occasions. The constant screaming from the victims became annoying in these scenes and I almost wanted them to die just to make them shut up! Otherwise, his best work in years and a film where he is not just content with repeating an old formula (like in "Sleepless" which I liked anyhow), but is actually trying to find a whole new path in his art.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Il cartaio (2004)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Come on Dario, is this the best you can do these days? mglasson
does anyone actually like this film? teejay6682
this movie REALLY sucks. downer123
What Beats a Royal Flush? phousefunkfactory
Gore...? htotheizzo-1
This movie is awful Nelly86
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