When MIT student Ben discovers he can’t afford his college tuition, he is lured into the seedy, exciting world of Vegas, with the promise of fast cash. He is recruited for a card counting scam, along with other MIT’s best and brightest, by their unorthodox Maths Professor, Micky Rosa.
Every weekend they travel to Vegas with the view of toppling the big guys and the house. All goes well until Ben starts to get a taste for money and the high life.
Based on the novel 'Bringing Down the House', 21 is slick to look at but pretty light on substance. Luketic has fashioned a fast paced, glamorous film, choked with young good looking kids on the make but essentially the plot is weak.
He takes great pains to show us how the card game of Blackjack works, so we can understand the hustle. And this, together with Luketic’s brazen camera work, is effective in creating good suspense. However, the outcome is still somewhat anti climatic.
British actor Jim Sturgess from Across the Universe fame, is terrific as the aspiring card shark Ben Campbell. And Kevin Spacey is once again right at home as the film’s villain Micky Rosa. He just eats these roles up.
21 is like a guilty pleasure. It’s not a great film but an entertaining one. Best not to employ too much thought.
If you need to sharpen your blackjack skills, look no further.
