21

This film makes me want to commit a crime, not going to lie. It even made me want to buy books about counting numbers in Black Jack. Directed by Robert Luketic, known for The Ugly Truth (2009), Paranoia (2013), Legally Blonde (2001), and others.

True story behind the film

The movie was inspired by Ben Mezrich’s book Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six MIT Students Who Took Vegas for Millions (2002). In reality, the events took place in the mid-1990s. And Yes, the movie was based on a true story, some of them came forward and even had a part during filming.

Three of them (not sure how many team members they really had):

• Jeff Ma makes a brief appearance in 21 as the main dealer at the Las Vegas casino.
• Another team member, Henry Houh, portrays the dealer in the underground Chinese gambling parlor and delivers the iconic line, “Winner, winner. Chicken dinner.”
• Bill Kaplan, the founder of the team, also appears in the same underground parlor, seated in the corner as a poker player.

Characters

• Castings were great, the leading man, Jim Sturgess cleverly portrayed a life of being a nerd then loses himself over money. I love that all throughout the film, his acting was reserved, much like how he really was during the start of the film. You could also see him in Geostorm (2017) and Apartment 7A, among other great titles.
• Kate Bosworth was great as well. Aside from her acting as her own character, she also does great when she needs to impersonate someone when going in the casinos, her foreign accents felt authentic. Just a perfect casting for her character.
• One of two who I felt led the whole film was Kevin Spacey, his teacher/mentor role was perfect for him. His dialogue, no matter what you give him, he can make it believable and add some tone to it and make something of it.
• The other main piece of the puzzle that fit just right was Laurence Fishburne, the enforcer. Just the way he is was already intimidating, his size was towering, and to see him standing over you with a brass knuckle. Game over. Anyone would’ve pissed their pants then. His performance was top-notch and really someone to be feared of.
• The supporting characters completed the film in my opinion, Aaron Yoo, Liza Lapira, Jacob Pitts, Josh Gad, and Sam Golzari. All of whom contributed greatly to the success of the film.

If you’re wondering why Ben (main character) kept stuffing his winning on top of his ceiling and not putting it in a bank for safe keeping, it was probably because he was hiding his earnings from the IRS and was intending to commit tax fraud. Jeff Ma, the real Ben, also hid his earning under dirty clothes, but he was never robbed in real life. He was also audited by the IRS twice and passed both audits without a hitch.

Music

Music was great as well. Look up L.S.F (feat. Kasabian) by Mark Ronson and Kasabian.
The humor was enough and just at the right moment done by the right people. Really reflects proper direction and good scriptwriting.

Conclusion

I think I’ve watched 21 around 5 times now, and every time I did, I would watch YouTube videos about counting cards. Fortunately, I haven’t gone down that rabbit hole. That would’ve been a disaster. It makes you wonder though how many people make a life off of card counting nowadays.

The reason 21 is so good to watch is that it has such light tone for a gambling genre. Beside the fact that Fishburne hunts and beats down card counters. Its a fun film to watch. And the fact that it was based on real people and real-life events makes it all the more interesting.