Ben (Jim Sturgess) is a brilliant MIT student who is applying for a scholarship for Harvard Medical School. When professor Mickey Rosa (Kevin Spacey) sees his genius, he recruits him to be part of his blackjack team, comprised of other geniuses, who are trained to count cards. After Ben ultimately passes his training, they travel to Las Vegas to rake in money. Ben vows to just earn enough tuition money before quitting, but the allure and luxurious lifestyle becomes too great a temptation, so he keeps playing. He starts an affair with his teammate Jill (Kate Bosworth) and things seem rosy at the start. Unknown to them, the team is under surveillance by casino security chief Cole Williams (Lawrence Fishburne). When Ben loses thousands at a game, Mickey is furious and turns them over to Cole, who interrogates Ben and beats him. Back at MIT, Ben is struggling with academics, and finds that his winnings have been stolen. He plans a final hit at a Vegas casino to win back his losses and to get back at Mickey. In Vegas, he dupes Mickey into accepting his fake casino chips, and leaves him to Cole.
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Best part of story, including ending:
It's a con movie that's smarter than the others because the criminals are math geniuses.
Best scene in story:
When Ben is trained and you learn their cheating tricks.
Opinion about the main character:
He wants too much and suffers for it, but in the end, he corrects his mistake.
