By Lisa DiCarlucci
There’s just something about Las Vegas. The lights, gambling and promiscuity never seem to get old for audiences and “21” delivers on all accounts of highlighting the sexy Las Vegas experience.
Jim Sturgess (“Across the Universe”) plays the unassuming Ben Campbell, a senior at MIT who is trying to figure out how to pay for Harvard Medical School the following year. He is a complete wizard at math and stands out from the crowd of already gifted students. He even catches the attention of statistics professor Micky Rosa (Kevin Spacey), who invites Ben to learn how to “count cards” in Black Jack late at night with a select group of other gifted students whom Rosa has trained. Though hesitant at first, the burden of Harvard Law tuition and the seduction of another member of the team (Kate Bosworth) convince Ben to go for it.
Professor Rosa teaches them how to cheat the game of Black Jack without getting caught. The group of students head to Las Vegas every weekend, fake identities in hand, to rake in unbelievable amounts cash from the casinos. Though they are met with challenges from authority, the race for the payout is worth watching.
The most fascinating part of “21” is that it is based on a true story. As if the enticing setting wasn’t enough to immerse audiences into the film, the fact that counting cards was something people could actually pull off becomes a magnet for the audience’s attention. The film grabs hold of the sense of adventure in viewers and quietly dares us to go live the scandalous life of our dreams.
The plot of “21” is interesting in its own right. The idea of college students pulling one over on the Las Vegas casino industry is slightly mind blowing, especially considering the motley crue that pulled it off. Other than Ben Campbell, the rest of the team seems less than brilliant, considering they are supposed to be the elite of MIT. This made for an awkward group dynamic.
The background of lights, glamour and strippers distracts from much of the film’s plot. The fact that the team’s meeting place is a strip club highlights the Vegas lifestyle. However, the excessiveness of such a setting comes into question. Is director Robert Luketic trying to drive home the seduction of the Vegas strip (no pun intended) or is he just trying to seduce the audience when the plot runs dry?
On the whole, “21” is entertaining and exciting to watch. The juxtaposition of the MIT campus and Las Vegas provides a yearning in the audience to escape their humdrum lives for something all the more thrilling (and profitable). The lesson learned is that while greed doesn’t pay out forever, it sure is fun while it lasts.