21: The Movie is all about card playing and numbers, but do the numbers add up in this movie to worthwhile entertainment?

21 was directed by Robert Luketic and stars Jim Sturgess, Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth, and Lawrence Fishburne. It is based on the true tale of some MIT students who spent their weekends in Las Vegas making cash from playing blackjack. The secret to their success was a mathematical system of card counting, hand signals, and disguises.

There is an uproar amongst a few people of the world in the fact that this reality based movie is less reality and more Hollywood, with many events of pure fiction and a white guy cast in the lead role which in real life was an Asian man. However, let's imagine they are not advertising this as a true story and just pick it apart and/or enjoy it as a movie meant to entertain.

21 is a by the numbers plot in reality and out of, with every beat so predictable that you will have felt like you have seen this all before. Every clich in the book is here, with the one really irking me being the jealousy of one guy who is the hot shot being replaced by the new guy; you know the drill. However, the card playing scenes are handle well and overall the directing keeps things fairly interesting regardless. The acting works fine and the soundtrack is excellent.

I would have figured a movie based on a true story would have less plotholes or logical errors than a from scratch blockbuster of comic proportions, but there were many questions popping into my mind while watching it. An example is their hand signals they use when taking down a card table. They use the same arm motions every time, yet they are always concerned about using fake names and disguises to not get caught; yet they use the same repetitive signals every time which would stand out one would think once they became regulars; visiting the same casinos every weekend. Maybe in real life they were actually morons then?

The ending to the movie, though once again fully predictable is cute and fun; not to mention a complete work of fiction.

21 is going to ultimately be forgettable to me, having watched it at the movie theater, it is my opinion that it is a decent watch if you seek to be entertained. However, it is more of a rental type of movie and even then if you are looking for a new experience this isn't really going to provide it.

Learn more about this author, Wes Laurie.
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