Il cartaio (2004)

Director:

Dario Argento

Writers:

Dario Argento (screenplay)
Dario Argento (story)
(more)

Release Date:

2 January 2004 (Italy)

Genre:

Crime | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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.

Plot Keywords:

Police | Serial Killer | Internet | Policewoman | Detective

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

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
Francesco Guzzo	...	Anti-Hacker #3
Pier Maria Cecchini	...	Flying Squad Chief (as Piermaria Cecchini)
Jennifer Poli	...	Christine Girdler, First Victim
Elisabetta Rocchetti	...	Second Victim
Irene Quagliarella	...	Friend of the Second Victim
Vera Gemma	...	Third Victim
Ulisse Minervini	...	Alvaro
Antonio Cantafora	...	Vice Squad Chief Marini
Mario Opinato	...	Inspector Morgani
Gualtiero Scola	...	Crime Scene Investigator
Robert Madison	...	Gustavo
Emanuel Bevilacqua	...	Slot Machine Arcade Owner
Robert Dawson	...	Embassy Employee (as Robert Dawson)
Adriana Fonzi Cruciani	...	Bunny
Carla Fonzi Cruciani	...	Bunny's Sister
Elena Falgheri	...	Teacher
Michele Pellegrini	...	Young Man
Isabella Celani	...	Doctor
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Francis Pardeilhan	...	Carlo Sturni (voice)
Lynn Swanson	...	C.I.D. wife (uncredited)
Franco Vitale	...	Police Photographer (uncredited)

Directed by
Dario Argento

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Dario Argento		screenplay
Dario Argento		story
Jay Benedict		dialogue
Franco Ferrini		screenplay
Franco Ferrini		story
Phoebe Scholfield		dialogue

Produced by
Claudio Argento	....	executive producer
Dario Argento	....	producer

Original Music by
Claudio Simonetti

Cinematography by
Benoît Debie

Film Editing by
Walter Fasano

Casting by
Fabrizio Bava

Production Design by
Marina Pinzuti Ansolini
Massimo Antonello Geleng		(as Antonello Geleng)

Art Direction by
Massimo Antonello Geleng

Costume Design by
Patrizia Chericoni
Florence Emir

Makeup Department
Bernadette Grampa	....	makeup artist
Fabrizio Nanni	....	key hair stylist
Raffaella Ragazzi	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Gianluca Borelli Stracca	....	unit manager
Tommaso Calevi	....	production supervisor
Riccardo Folgore	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Fabrizio Bava	....	first assistant director
Francesco Perri	....	second assistant director

Sound Department
Tullio Arcangeli	....	additional sound effects
Tullio Arcangeli	....	sound designer
Piergiorgio De Luca	....	sound effects editor
Maurizio Di Coste	....	sound mixer
Tommaso Quattrini	....	sound
Bruno Ventura	....	sound editor

Special Effects by
Danilo Bollettini	....	special effects
David Bracci	....	special mechanical effects
Francesca R. Di Nunzio	....	sculptor
Barbara Morosetti	....	models
Franco Ragusa	....	special effects
Sergio Stivaletti	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Simone Fontana	....	digital mastering editor
Giulia Infurna	....	digital compositor: Proxima
Gian Luca Rizzo	....	visual effects producer
Giuseppe Squillaci	....	visual effects: Proxima
Sergio Stivaletti	....	visual effects
Paolo Verrucci	....	digital mastering colorist

Stunts
David Ambrosi	....	stunt double
Massimiliano Bianchi	....	stunt rigger
Alessandro Borgese	....	stunt performer
Riccardo Mioni	....	stunt coordinator
Stefano Maria Mioni	....	stunt coordinator
Emiliano Novelli	....	stunt double
Valentina Paradiso	....	stunt double
Franco Maria Salamon	....	stunt supervisor
Massimiliano Ubaldi	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Alessandro Bolognesi	....	Steadicam operator
Claudio Del Gobbo	....	grip
Stefano Di Pasquali	....	additional grip
Stefano Marino	....	gaffer
Giorgio Pezzotti	....	grip
Cristiano Sergioli	....	grip truck
Franco Vitale	....	still photographer

Casting Department
Carol L. Dudley	....	casting: UK

Editorial Department
Alessandro Di Cola	....	second assistant editor
Maria Cristina Marra	....	assistant editor
Sarah McTeigue	....	assistant editor
Irma Misantoni	....	first assistant editor
Irma Misantoni	....	post-production coordinator

Music Department
Bruno Ventura	....	music editor

Other crew
Carla Alonzo	....	production secretary
Maria Rita Gagliano	....	payroll accountant
Marcello Lanza	....	production accountant
Luca Padrini	....	production assistant
Lynn Swanson	....	dialogue coach

Production Companies

• Medusa Produzione
• Opera Film Produzione

Distributors

• Medusa Distribuzione (2004) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Dutch FilmWorks (DFW) (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Imagine Entertainment (2004) (Australia) (DVD)
• Koch Media (2005) (Germany) (DVD) (retail)
• Spentzos Film Home Video (Greece) (video)
• Starmedia Home Entertainment (2005) (Germany) (DVD) (rental)
• Transeuropa Video Entertainment (TVE) (2006) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Transeuropa Video Entertainment (TVE) (2006) (Argentina) (VHS)

Special Effects

• A. & G. Corridori (special set effects)
• Apocalypse FX (special visual effects)

Also Known As:

The Card Player (International: English title) (USA)
The Card Dealer
The Cardplayer (Australia)
Untitled Dario Argento (Italy) (working title)

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

Italy

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:16+ (Quebec) | UK:15 | USA:Not Rated | Argentina:18 | Netherlands:16 | France:U | Australia:MA | Italy:VM14 | Singapore:M18 | Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Medusa Produzione

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Ti piace Hitchcock? (2005) (TV)

A bit disappointing

What can I say about this film? It certainly is not a typical Argento film (and I mean that in a very broad sense - there are some things you expect from an Argento film, like gore, tension and a certain visual style), but is it really bad? Well, it's not a terrible movie but from the man that gave us Suspiria, Deep Red and Tenebrae I expected much more.

First of all it's not giallo but more of a run of the mill detective story. Now, this wouldn't be bad if it was a good detective story, but it's not. The identity of the killer was predictable and some parts of the story did not make any sense. On top of that, the acting was not very good and the music was at best tolerable. And the final scene was just bad and did not make much sense.

The only good things about the movie were some great shots of Rome, and a couple of good, powerful scenes (like the first 2 murders) that reminded me a little of Argento's better films.

It's not a very bad movie, it's just a mediocre one. But since it's an Argento movie I expected much more. I give it 5 out of 10.