The Card Player

A serial killer known as the Card Player starts kidnapping young women in Rome, using a webcam to force the police to play online poker. If the players lose, the kidnapped victims are tortured and murdered on-screen. The victims share a common clue: seeds found on their corpses.

Irish policeman John Brennan and Italian detective Anna Mari are assigned to the case and begin canvassing the city. During this, they meet a skilled young video poker aficionado named Remo in a local arcade. They realize his expertise could help them exploit the killer's online poker games.

Brennan and Mari recruit Remo to help them play against the Card Player. Remo agrees to use his poker skills to gain an edge in the killer's game. They hope his involvement will force the killer into a vulnerable position.

The killer abducts Lucia, the police chief's daughter. Remo plays the killer and wins the match, and Lucia is later found alive in an alley. The victory escalates the killer's pressure on the police.

The police hold a party to celebrate Lucia's safe return, a rare moment of relief in the tense investigation. Brennan and Anna's partnership appears to grow as they work this case. The victory, however, is overshadowed by the killer's continuing threat.

Remo is approached by an attractive woman in a bar who leads him through the city. She is revealed to be an agent of the killer, and Remo is murdered with a boat hook. The killer's setup demonstrates the reach and cunning of the Card Player.

Brennan and Anna discover that the video from the first poker game includes the sound of a cannon fired at noon, meaning the game was prerecorded hours earlier. They deduce the Card Player's room must be near the cannon. This discovery narrows down potential locations.

Brennan spots the seed plant source and traces it to the entrance of the Card Player's room. He opens the door, believing he's closing in on the killer, but triggers a booby trap and is killed. The investigation loses one of its lead investigators.

Police discover Brennan's abandoned car and rush to the scene. Anna is riding with a coworker, Carlo, when seeds in his car reveal his guilt. Carlo abducts Anna and handcuffs both of them to a railroad track.

Mari is forced to play poker against Carlo for the key to the handcuffs. After winning the first round, she uses advice from her father's poker book to destabilize Carlo by mocking him. Carlo attacks, Mari seizes the key and escapes as the train approaches.

With spare handcuff keys, Carlo struggles to escape as the train bears down. Mari races to free herself and the train hits, killing Carlo. The killer's scheme ends with a brutal victory for the investigators.

Some time later, Mari has become chief inspector. She learns by phone that she is pregnant, presumably by Brennan, and she smiles at the hopeful news. The outcome suggests a fragile but enduring connection between the two partners.