Inspired by true events – boasts the high stakes adventure thriller based on the game and also entitled 21.  As far as plot and story of the film go, Aussie director, Robert Luketic’s (LEGALLY BLONDE, WIN A DATE WITH TED HAMILTON!) film is quite implausible. 

The audience is led to believe that one math genius M.I.T. student, Ben Campbell (ACROSS THE UNIVERSE’s Jim Sturgess) joins a team led by professor Micky Rosa (Oscar winner Kevin Spacey) to beat the casinos at Blackjack.  They travel each weekend to Vegas where by counting cards and employing a devised set of signaling, the team wins thousands.  Suspense is provided by a violent and menacing casino enforcer, Cole Williams (Laurence Fishburne) who wises up to the happenings.

As far as film accuracy goes, director Luketic opts for the glamour.  This is not surprising from the film’s first scene when Ben’s interviewer insists that Ben must tell a story that dazzles.  When the team enters the casinos, the camera is focused on the bright lights, the scantily clad hostesses, the expert shuffling and dealing at the tables in order to ‘wow’ the audience.  The strategy of counting cards exists and if interested, one can check the website at http://www.ehow.com for more information.  The same can be said of the lecture room scenes.  All is for show.  The chalkboard is all filled with equations and Professor Rosa rattles off information as a stage actor would Shakespeare.  One wishes Luketic would have captured the casino atmosphere as in the Brit film CROUPIER.  As far as mathematic nerds go, one would hardly expect all members of the team to be so vociferous.  Most would be quiet and sociably inept.

Still, 21 is entertaining and moves fast and furious.  Luketic stages his action well – especially his classroom scenes (as in LEGALLY BLONDE).  His fondness of aerial shots also shows.  The film takes two dives down with a shoddy romantic subplot between Ben and gorgeous fellow team member, Jill Taylor (Kate Bosworth) and the predictable revenge segment.  One would hardly expect Rosa to fall into the entrapment of his students.  The violence (Cole’s beating up of casino card counters) stands out in an otherwise non-bloodied movie.  In Vegas casinos, card counting is not illegal, but casino management can throw counters out since casinos are private property.

The end result of 21 is a mixed bag of tricks.  While a lot of fun, 21 is still as forgettable as a session of Blackjack.