21 Movie Review
We know how it is played; we have our own
strategy to haul in money; and then came 21 which makes us mere
blackjack-playing mortals look like a bunch of highschoolers who
haven’t touched the game.
This movie, inspired by the story of MIT
blackjack team of six Massachusetts Institute of Technology students who
took the
Of
course, it comes with all the ladies, the women, and all the
gambling-given excitement it could give.
What could possibly go wrong with their perfect idea?
When Blackjack Takes the Moving Reels
The story revolves around a promising MIT student Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess), who has to wait tables to fund himself for college. To make it worse, Ben has to live day in and day out with friends like Terry (Jack McGee) Miles (Josh Gad).
No wonder Ben wants to get out of his daily life and have something different. Or better. Or so he thinks.
After an impressive display of his knack for numbers and for stuff most of us know nothing about, Professor Micky Rosa (Kevin Spacey) found an interest in this burgeoning student-genius.
One night while Ben is studying, he was approached by Jason Fisher (Jacob Pitts) and was invited to join and lead Professor Micky’s secret band of blackjack counters.
At first, poor Ben hesitated, but it doesn’t take long before the sexy sway of his co-ed Jill Taylor (Kate Bosworth) to make him change his mind.
After hours of training and passing the initiation rites deep in Chinatown gambling hotspot, its time to leave the noodles and hit the Vegas strip. Week after week, Prof.
Micky’s band of blackjack counter is winning thousands of dollars every weekend.
Of course, with the amount of money draining every weekend, it doesn’t take long before the security counter watch dog, Cole Williams (Laurence Fishburne), took notice.
There are two things that could happen. He can get out before he ran out of luck, or he never will. The question is, what are the odds for Ben Campbell?
Pros and the Cons
The good thing about this movie is that it keeps you watching, making sure you don’t end up snoring in movie houses and lulling all other to do the same. The cinematography works, especially in producing the danger, mystery and sexiness of the Vegas night. The camera panned the images and the scenes nicely.
The weak hand of 21 starts with the plot. Yes, it’s exciting with all the money, women, fist fights and things you expected it to have, but even in this kind of movie you wanted something new and unpredictable – something that’s not delivered nicely by the movie.
Moreover, you have this feeling the character’s character were never fully developed, giving you various faces to fit the character. This is especially true with Ben, who wants to do the right thing and still manages to go to casino during weekends. The other characters are no different.
My Rating
All in all, it’s a nice movie to watch, albeit you would want to see more of the well-loved gambling movie classics. You may not like the characters, but with the way the movie is made it is sure to make you itch for a Vegas holiday.
