20 Best Films Of 2021

Without question one of the year's most overlooked films, Paul Schrader's The Card Counter is another fascinatingly unsentimental character study from the master filmmaker, giving Oscar Isaac the floor to deliver perhaps the finest performance of his career.

A searing, expectation-defying drama about guilt and atonement, The Card Counter is far from the mere gambling thriller it was marketed as.

This is a moody, slow-paced character-driven drama that's more concerned with the spectres of the Iraq War - particularly the atrocities committed in Abu Ghraib - than counting cards.

Isaac leads a resolutely terrific ensemble cast including Tye Sheridan, Willem Dafoe, and most surprisingly Tiffany Haddish, each complimenting Isaac's intense performance exceptionally well.

While those expecting a more conventional film may have been thrown by Schrader's approach, there are rewards-a-plenty for patient audiences prepared to take the plunge.