In Rome, Inspector Anna Mari receives a macabre surprise for her birthday when an email lands in her inbox from someone calling themself “The Card Player”, and claiming to be the one responsible for the recent kidnapping of a British tourist. In a sadistic twist, the kidnapper challenges the authorities to a game of online poker to determine whether the young woman lives or dies. When the Police Commissioner forbids his team to go through with the game, the maniac brutally slaughters the tourist before their very eyes via webcam, later dumping the body in a river. As more and more women are abducted from the streets of the Italian capital and subjected to the same treatment, Anna Mari joins forces with Irish policeman John Brennan and young poker whizz-kid Remo in an attempt to beat The Card Player at their own deadly game.

A later giallo offering from the master of the form, Dario Argento’s (Deep Red, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage) THE CARD PLAYER takes all the familiar trappings of the genre and plants them firmly in an early 2000s milieu, complete with a fittingly pulsing, contemporary electronic score by Claudio Simonetti (Suspiria, Tenebrae). Co-scripted by regular Argento collaborator Franco Ferrini (Phenomena, Demons) and featuring gruesome corpse special effects from Sergio Stivaletti (Cemetery Man), Vinegar Syndrome is delighted to present THE CARD PLAYER in its world UHD debut, newly restored in 4K from the original camera negative and loaded with a full deck of both new and archival extras.

For thoughts on The Card Player, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic here.

Video Quality

The Card Player comes to 4K UHD Blu-Ray from Vinegar Syndrome with a 2160p Dolby Vision/HDR transfer in 1.85:1 that is derived from a 4K scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative. The film was last released on Blu-Ray in 2022 by Scorpion Releasing from an older master that was decent but left room for improvement. This new 4K UHD release brings out so much more life that allows the film to flourish and impress. The presentation is impeccable throughout with image stability and delineation being top notch.

Instances of print damage have been mostly eradicated, although there is some lingering damage near the beginning of the film. Otherwise, overall clarity and detail are excellent. This transfer retains the natural film grain of the presentation with everything resolving seamlessly and consistently. Colors are deftly saturated to bring out the complexity of the environments and certain articles of clothing. Skin tones are natural with subtle facial features easily noticeable in close-ups. Black levels are deep with nothing in the way of crush, and highlights avoid any unsightly blooming. This presentation is a major win for fans of the film.

Audio Quality

This new 4K UHD Blu-Ray comes with a lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix in both Italian and English that captures the intention of the film as well as the source will allow. A personal pet peeve with a film this recent is the decision to film with actors in different languages and post-dubbing to match the language chosen. No matter which track you choose, there are going to be some characters who are dubbed. This is a side effect of the filming technique and not an issue with the disc.

That being said, the dialogue is strong, coming through clearly without being stepped on by the music or sound effects. The environmental effects are delineated nicely from the chatter at the police station to the train in the final segment. The track avoids any instances of age-related wear and tear or distortion. The music from Claudio Simonetti maintains a pleasing fidelity as it comes through the room. This is a track that represents the film as was intended by Argento. Newly translated optional Italian-to-English and English SDH subtitles are provided on this disc.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Film Historians Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson deliver a really great commentary track in which they discuss the divisive nature of the feature, how this finds Argento functioning in a very different mode, the shot composition of the feature, how this film evolved into something very different from the the original plans, the performances in the film and more. These two like the film quite a bit more than I did, but it is nice to hear different arguments as to why they think it succeeds.

Playing the Game – Interview with Actress Stefania Rocca: A new 27-minute interview with the star in which she discusses her early love of Dario Argento, her surprise at getting to star in one of his movies, the direct line of communication she had with Argento, the complexity of her character, and more.

Digital Nightmare – Interview with Composer Claudio Simonetti: A new 19-minute interview with the composer in which he discusses the fun he had composing The Card Player, incorporating electronic music into the score, collaborating with Argento, the negative reaction he has received from certain fans, and more.

Like In War – Interview with Make-up Artist Sergio Stivaletti: A new ten-minute interview with the make-up artist in which he discusses working with Argento, the scenes he felt were most important to get right, creating a realistic-looking corpse, and more.

Sharp Cuts – Interview with Editor Walter Fasano: A new 20-minute interview with the editor in which he discusses his admiration for Argento, stepping in as an editor for Argento after a fight with his previous collaborator, letting go of his reverence in the editing room, and more.

Watch Me When I Kill – Interview with Director/Screenwriter Dario Argento: An 18-minute archival interview with Argento is provided here in which he discusses his inspiration to make the film, having the lead characters be police, the shooting locations, the decision to not shoot in Venice, the work on his new cinematographer, the performances and more.

Taking Risks – Interview with Screenwriter Franco Ferrini: A nine-minute archival interview with Ferrini in which he talks about Argento contacting him with initial ideas, the real-life inspirations for the story, the intentional bleakness of the locations, how it compares to other Argento films and more.

A Chip And A Chair – Interview with Set Designer Antonello Geleng: A 12-minute archival conversation with Geleng in which he talks about his thoughts on abandoning the idea to shoot in Venice, finding a balance between real locations and sets, how the setting ties into the themes of the film, the lighting of the film, his collaborations with Argento, his feelings towards the film and more.

Game Over – Interview with Actress Fiore Argento: A nearly nine-minute interview with “Lucia Marini” in which she discusses where she was at this point in her career, her father writing a role specifically for her, the lighting and costumes in the film, what she represented in the film, how his style and temperament evolved from his earlier days, and more that is very insightful.

Archival Behind-the-Scenes Featurette: A nearly ten-minute piece that gives a broad overview of the creation of the film.

Final Thoughts

The Card Player is an interesting giallo mostly due to the fact that it is made by the one and only Dario Argento. The legend does not seem to be comfortable working with stories in recent decades, as he has more of a classic sensibility that fits into a certain time period. This effort feels slightly stilted in its execution, yet there are undeniably some thrilling set pieces that will appeal to longtime fans of the filmmaker. Vinegar Syndrome has released a new 4K UHD Blu-Ray featuring a mostly great A/V presentation and a pleasing array of special features. If you are a completist for Dario Argento, this is the best release of the film.

The Card Player is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Vinegar Syndrome has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.