Flawed But Entertaining Sin City Themed Movie

Rating: 6/10 (8 September 2019)

As a fan of movies based off of high stakes gambling and the manipulative way of how Hollywood has glamourized Vegas to death, I do come to the realization that Sin City id not as glittery as they make you all believe. Sure it may be biased in my point of view because I'm not a gambler but I was never turned-on by the seductive nature this city unapologetic exposes to us making it feel as if it's a giant amusement park for adults. No matter how much profit you make the results are always the same, the house emerges victorious. Aside from the casinos many hotels surround them and guess where they get their revenue from? Need I say more?
Inspired by real events based off of a novel by Ben Mezrich, "21" centres around six MIT students who esoterically use their cunning wit that no textbook was offered to them to come up with their own codes and rhythms to win it big on the Vegas strip. As usual, Hollywood successfully sexes up the scenery combined with Kevin Spacey taking charge as Prof. Mickey Rosa and the students are donned in their trendy night outfits. Although they are super smart, the students are persuaded by Mickey that they deny they are cheating, but rather outsmarting the system by way of card counting. Sure there's a hint of complex mathematics and some methodology to avoid being caught even by means of going incognito, fake names and different gestures, words and body language.
What gets me annoyed here is that the filmmakers try to dumb us down by providing us every detail stating the obvious that through every casino codes change, and that no trick is ever repeated twice. It makes it that way so that the subplot featured here leaves a bad impression that their manipulative influences are out-shined and downplayed by technology the threat of head security officials like Cole Williams (Laurence Fishburne) in an unimportant job.
After the success of the 2006 film "Across the Universe", Jim Sturgess seems to be increasing his credentials to his resume as desperate for money MIT student Ben Campbell who like every academic is trying to enroll at Harvard Medical School is willing to rake in the dough with the limit of $300,000 which is how much it is to get that prized scholarship. So then we have this formulaic theme as Ben becomes so good at the game that all his earning get taken away from him and the lesson that greed will get you nowhere.
The other students under Mickey's guidance include Jill Taylor (Kate Bosworth who co-starred with Spacey in "Superman Returns" and "Beyond the Sea") Choi (Aaron Yoo), Kianna (Liza Lapira) and Fisher (Jacob Pitts) their mathematical methods are honed by a systematical montage. They go through the tests and regiments and the strategy in how they're going to pull themselves through the tables. While this is proceeding, they have room for some romance, and their obsession for quick cash, intensity is in high gear and the not so glorious lifestyle of being wealthy. As sad as it seems, the supporting cast add very little significance to the story. Bosworth is just on for the cliche love interest and while the two token Asian performers are just stereotypical caricatures like a kleptomaniac.
Though Spacey is convincing in another chilling performance and Sturgess handled the naive pretty boy role fittingly, however '21" just has to spoon-feed us putting every piece of development right in front of us and all the essential plot twists are just a motion away and how the mathematical rouse is fully explained. If you think this will be an educational trick to learn from, don't be fooled. There's a myriad of mathematical know-it-all and the methodical practices are more complex than what is given to you. Maybe you'll be luckier on the slot machines.
What was great about "21" was that it demonstrated just how crooked the Vegas tables really operate and how getting good grades are not the only requirements in getting a good education and that money and finance are the keys to your goals. And yes tuition is expensive and salaries increase every year, it's believable that students who aren't privileged will go through great lengths just to reach their goals educationally and financially.
In the end, "21" succeeds in being an entertaining heist film and keeps itself as serious as it can be. And sure it's colourful like the average Hollywood film normally is, the cheaters never prosper moral message is pasted on the while time through. And that only the smart survive once the dust clears and that earning money is better than winning money.