Based on a true story, "21" is an entertaining movie about how some MIT students learned to count cards and win big in Las Vegas. Jim Sturgess (Jude in "Across the Universe) and Kate Bosworth (Lois Lane in "Superman Returns"), as Ben Campbell and Jill Taylor, head a young, good-looking cast. Their mentor is an independent-minded math professor, Mickey Rosa (Kevin Spacey), who keeps a lookout in his classes for prospects for his lucrative extra-curricular club. Once trained, his picks are so smart they can take off weekends, assume new identities, and take the casinos for hundreds of thousands.
Looking out for the casinos is Cole Williams (Laurence Fishburne), a loss prevention guy from the old school, beset by dwindling clients and the advent of face-recognition software that can identify the counters. (While not illegal, counting cards changes the odds, so the casinos can legally bar those they catch counting.)
Ben's secret life starts to take a toll on his relationships - with his old friends, with his mother, and even with his teammates and mentor. Some of this is predictable, and the love interest goes nowhere, but the ins an outs and ups and downs of this scheme, and Ben's plans for a final big win keep the movie humming along. It's not great art, but it's slickly done, and a fun ride.
Rated PG-13. 123 minutes. Robert Luketic - Director, Peter Steinfeld- Writer (screenplay), Allan Loeb - Writer (screenplay), Ben Mezrich - Writer (book "Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions"), Dana Brunetti - Producer, Michael De Luca - Producer, Kevin Spacey - Producer, Russell Carpenter - Cinematographer, David Sardy - Composer, Missy Stewart - Production Designer, Elliot Graham - Editor. Distributed by Columbia Pictures.
Principal actors: Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth, Laurence Fishburne, Kevin Spacey, Liza Lapira, Josh Gad, Aaron Yoo, and Sam Golzari.
Looking out for the casinos is Cole Williams (Laurence Fishburne), a loss prevention guy from the old school, beset by dwindling clients and the advent of face-recognition software that can identify the counters. (While not illegal, counting cards changes the odds, so the casinos can legally bar those they catch counting.)
Ben's secret life starts to take a toll on his relationships - with his old friends, with his mother, and even with his teammates and mentor. Some of this is predictable, and the love interest goes nowhere, but the ins an outs and ups and downs of this scheme, and Ben's plans for a final big win keep the movie humming along. It's not great art, but it's slickly done, and a fun ride.
Rated PG-13. 123 minutes. Robert Luketic - Director, Peter Steinfeld- Writer (screenplay), Allan Loeb - Writer (screenplay), Ben Mezrich - Writer (book "Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions"), Dana Brunetti - Producer, Michael De Luca - Producer, Kevin Spacey - Producer, Russell Carpenter - Cinematographer, David Sardy - Composer, Missy Stewart - Production Designer, Elliot Graham - Editor. Distributed by Columbia Pictures.
Principal actors: Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth, Laurence Fishburne, Kevin Spacey, Liza Lapira, Josh Gad, Aaron Yoo, and Sam Golzari.
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