Matt Damon plays Mike McDermott, a law student who also happens to have a Ph.D. in poker. Nine months later, his best friend Worm, played by Edward Norton, is released from prison. Through the seduction of the game and the plight of his friend, Mike is slowly drawn back into the underground world he tried so desperately to leave. The film runs a predictable arc from start to finish as most films do. The surprises can lie in how the characters get to where you know they're headed.
Nothing is left to our imagination until the very end of the film.
And not springing more than one surprise in a film about poker is a big mistake. In a lot of ways, this movie is just there. It makes the appearance, goes through the motions and when the lights come up, there's not much that will spark conversation. The casting, which is heaven-sent, provides this film with a small flame. Even if the situations and the themes aren't interesting, at least the movie is populated with actors who know their craft very well.