Rating: 2.5 Pulses
Jim Sturgess, Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth, Lawrence Fishburne
Directed by Robert Luketic
Rated PG-13
This is an entertaining movie. The stellar cast, led by Jim Sturgess (Across the Universe) with veteran actors Kevin Spacey and Lawrence Fishburne, make this the most entertaining release of the weekend. It is a true account of six MIT students who train to count cards and end up in Vegas raking in millions from casinos.
There is no law against counting cards, but there is an underground “law” enforced by this story’s relegated “reluctant bad guy” (Fishburne). The real bad guy is portrayed by Spacey, of course, in keeping with his impressive reputation for pulling off the “bad guy you love” role. In fact, I did not quite get my fill of his character and think the movie would be better served if he were in it more. So Sturgess is the “star of the show” and stands above the rest.
21 is well made and all the performances are polished. It streams right along, unraveling various interesting subplots along the way.
The writing is like the story and the characters: brilliant. Based on Ben Mezrich’s book “Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions,” The screenplay was a joint effort by Allan Loeb and Peter Steinfled.
The central character is an Asian American by the name of Jeff Ma. He has been accused of racism by his peers for allowing a Caucasian to portray him in Hollywood’s take on his life. He responds by saying he did not get to do the casting himself. Ma is a fascinating individual who has an active Web site involving making money gambling in sports. A good way to define this 36-year-old San Francisco resident is unapologetic.
“It is OK for people to make money off them,” he tells the San Francisco Chronicle. “There’s no reason the casinos should be taking as much money from people as they do.”
So yes, I recommend this movie. The score is racing and right on and the Vegas shots are among the best I’ve seen, but there is nothing that necessarily calls for a trip to the cinema, so I also recommend you wait for the DVD.
Sturgess’s character is an endearing fellow viewers will find themselves rooting for. The empathy Sturgess’s work combined with exceptional writing can evoke is potentially endless.
The ending could not have been better; it’s thrilling and rewarding, everything comes full circle, and any unanswered questions are put to rest. We are reminded the lesson of the story: always account for variable change.
