Rounders

Mike McDermott is a poker player, through and through. He knows his way around the game, and around the people who play it. He can spot bluffs and bad hands from a mile away, and eventually becomes one of the best players in the underground playing circuit in New York. But after losing everything in one game, he tries to go straight. And for a while, he makes good on that. But when his conning and shifty friend Worm gets out of jail and the both of them in hot water with the local loanshark, and he's going to have to play his way to a very large payoff to save his neck.

Poker movies are few and far between, especially ones that aren't so much about the game proper as they are about the feelings one has when playing a very intense hand. This is a movie that captures that emotion perfectly, and is probably the best poker movie ever made (talk about a niche market).

It handles the players and the game about the same way as the Ocean's 11 trilogy handles thieves. These people know their way around the cards as well as they know how to breathe. Every action they make at the table has consequences, every move planned. It's fascinating to watch, and even makes you think you can try it yourself (I know I can't, I'm a pretty bad card player :P).

It's also got a fair amount of humor thrown in, though stuff with Edward Norton and Matt Damon tend to get that a lot. The two work very well together as the main characters (Matt as Mike and Ed as Worm), with some definite charisma that makes the desperation they have for getting the money (and Mike's growing frustration with how dangerous Worm is acting) seem all the more real.

It's a movie for fans of the game, definitely, but also works well for those who don't even know how to play (and there's many different types of poker shown in the movie, and I only know how to play two or three of them). Good characters in a good story with some engaging dialogue and a satisfying conclusion... what's not to like? See it now so you can sit in careful anticipation of the upcoming sequel (whether it will be subtitles What Goes Around Comes Around has yet to be decided).

Trailer (which isn't too hot, but trust me, the movie's good): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPvILCgCgzw