What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedThe Card Counter
Paul Schrader · Film · 2021
If you loved The Card Counter, start with The Lies I Tell (Julie Clark) — a book on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to The Card Counter across media.
What hooked you in The Card Counter was the way it explores the heavy burden of past trauma through men struggling for redemption.
Books on the same thread
The Passenger
Cormac McCarthy · Book · 2022
Shares a thread with The Card Counter: Guilt.
Like The Card Counter, this novel centers on a man haunted by his past, navigating a world of existential dread and conspiracy while attempting to reconcile with deep personal loss.
Billy Summers
Stephen King · Book · 2021
Shares 2 threads with The Card Counter: moral ambiguity, neo-noir.
This hitman thriller mirrors the professional isolation and moral ambiguity found in The Card Counter, following a man in a bad job seeking a final path toward his own redemption.
One Shot
Lee Child · Book
Explores: Vigilante Justice, Military Expertise, Small-town Secrets.
If you appreciated the cold, methodical military precision displayed in The Card Counter, you will find a similar focus on expert competence and vigilante justice in this gripping procedural.
The Lies I Tell
Julie Clark · Book
Shares a thread with The Card Counter: psychological thriller.
This psychological thriller echoes the tension and manipulation found in The Card Counter, as it examines the breakdown of assumptions and the complex reality of dealing with a deceptive con artist.
Series on the same thread
House of Cards
Beau Willimon · Series · 2013
Shares a thread with The Card Counter: Psychological Thriller.
Much like the calculating atmosphere of The Card Counter, this series explores the dark, manipulative world of power and corruption where individuals stop at nothing to achieve their cold ambitions.
Marvel's The Punisher
Steve Lightfoot · Series · 2017
Shares a thread with The Card Counter: Moral Ambiguity.
This series captures the same intersection of military trauma and revenge as The Card Counter, focusing on a man grappling with his past while caught in a lethal, conspiratorial web.
Bodyguard
Jed Mercurio · Series · 2018
Shares 2 threads with The Card Counter: Moral Ambiguity, Psychological Thriller.
This political thriller mirrors the PTSD-fueled narrative arc of The Card Counter, placing a damaged war veteran in a high-stakes environment defined by moral ambiguity and dangerous government secrets.
Ozark
Bill Dubuque · Series · 2017
Shares a thread with The Card Counter: Neo-Noir.
The Card Counter highlights the consequences of a life lived in the shadows, a theme this series explores through the moral decay and family dysfunction of a man navigating crime.
Podcasts on the same thread
CounterClock
Audiochuck · Podcast · 2025
Explores: unsolved homicide, seeking justice, historical mystery.
If the investigative drive toward uncovering hidden truths in The Card Counter kept you engaged, this series offers a similar pursuit of justice through the lens of a cold case.
The Truth
The Truth · Podcast · 2026
Shares a thread with The Card Counter: moral ambiguity.
These cinematic stories echo the moral ambiguity and psychological depth of The Card Counter, offering listeners a series of intense, short-form investigations into the complexities of the human condition.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is The Card Counter based on a true story?
The Card Counter is a 2021 film written and directed by Paul Schrader. It is a fictional narrative focusing on William Tell, a gambler whose solitary life is disrupted when he encounters a young man named Cirk who is seeking revenge against a military colonel.
What is the primary conflict in The Card Counter?
The primary conflict in The Card Counter involves William Tell attempting to find redemption by guiding Cirk away from a vengeful plan against a military colonel. This effort fails as the situation forces Tell to confront the darkness of his own past while traveling the casino trail.
Does William Tell seek redemption in The Card Counter?
Yes, William Tell seeks redemption in The Card Counter by attempting to mentor Cirk. Tell hopes to steer the young man away from his violent plan for revenge, but the effort ultimately drags Tell back into the shadows of his own history and personal trauma.
Who directed The Card Counter?
The Card Counter was directed by Paul Schrader. The 2021 film follows the story of William Tell, a man living a spartan existence on the casino circuit until his life is complicated by a young man named Cirk who is intent on executing a plan for revenge.