ACES AND KNAVES

A sedate pastime for retirees? No way! Bridge is a high-stakes whirl of brain against brain in which elite players process a million data points a minute and compete as fiercely as Olympic athletes. Aces & Knaves captures that drama by zooming in on the champions and cheaters who dominate the game. Yes, cheaters! Like every human endeavor where money and ego hang in the balance, bridge has long had its share of tricksters. The film follows the emotional story of the codebreakers, who outed the most recent batch of bad guys. And it also gets to the core of why millions of people around the globe are addicted to the game. Says bridge legend Zia Mahmood: "If I sat with you for 10 minutes at a bridge table, I would know more about you than your closest relatives do. Because I could see whether you're brave, strong or fearless. Whether you're honest or charming. It reveals everything."