Good, but don't bet for more...

Rating: 7/10 (23 January 2011)

Recap: Ben, a whiz kid with a stellar record still finds it hard to get into Harvard Medical. Not because his grades but because of the tuition fees. There is a scholarship, but the competition is fierce. Ben needs something to make him stand out. But then a MIT professor notices his math skills, and offers him another way to make the money. He is leading a team that counts cards and intends to beat the house in Las Vegas. Though what they do isn't strictly illegal, the casinos aren't really happy about them winning a lot, and have their own shady countermeasures.
Comments: There is a saying that you don't play a player. In this movie, everything is business, everyone is a player, and everyone is playing everyone (in one way or another, i.e. not only for money). A good set up for intrigues, and there are a enough of them, not too many though, to make this a good thriller.
However, it lacks a little to make it a great one. For one thing there is really never any doubt how it will end, because of the way the movie is set up. It just a question of how to get there, and as the movie progresses fewer and fewer options remain. Fortunately it doesn't become totally crystal clear, and it does some twists at the end to throw you off. It is partially successful but not wholly. It manages to become suspenseful enough to be entertaining but not surprising.
There are some good actors, most notably Spacey and Fishburne, but this won't be the height of their respective careers. Sturgess does a good lead, supported by always beautiful Bosworth, but none of them give a performance worth remembering.
In the end it just a good entertaining movie, don't bet on anything more.
7/10